More people visited Dutch museums using their Museum Card last year

Museum visitors used their Museum Card in 9.6 million visits last year, the Museums Association reported. This is 100,000 more visits using the card than in 2023.

Around 1.5 million people went to the museum an average of 6.4 times during the last year. This is a decrease compared to 2023. Every Museum Cardholder visited the museum 6.6 times on average that year.

"Because the number of Museum Card holders has increased, it can be said that Museum Card holders have on average visited the museum (slightly) less, but that more people have visited museums," the association explained.

The Museum Association reported after research in the past that people who own a Museum Card go to a museum almost three times as much as people who do not own a card. This difference was bigger amongst young adults.

Around 475 museums joined the Museum Association last year. The association would not report how museums are doing financially when asked on Wednesday. The annual figures for 2024 will be presented in the autumn, with information about the financial position of the museums.

The association said last September that there are “big concerns” about the future of museums. Especially small and medium-sized institutions were said to be struggling, according to the association.