Great year for museums; Many still have financial troubles

2023 was an excellent year for Dutch museums. Some 9.5 million people visited a museum with a museum card, a good indication of the total museum visits, the Museum Association said. The association estimates that the Dutch museums attracted between 29 and 32 million people last year - about the same as in the record year 2019 before the coronavirus closures.

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam received a record 2.7 million visitors last year, partly thanks to the Vermeer exhibit. The Watersnoodmuseum (Flood Museum) in Ouwerkerk, the Stadsmuseum Hardewijk, and Marius van Dokkum also broke visitor records.

However, despite the increasing visitor numbers, many museums are still in financial trouble, the Museum Association said. “Museums’ own income is not sufficient to compensate for the rising costs,” the association said. Many museums depleted their financial reserves during the pandemic, and the government investments they depend on aren’t enough to compensate for rising costs.

The Museum Association pointed out that museums are an important part of the local economy. High visitor numbers also mean more customers for restaurants, shops, and hotels in the area.