Half of all museums in the Netherlands are in financial trouble

Half of the museums in the Netherlands are in financial trouble. The Dutch museums are struggling with rising costs. Inflation was 10 percent last year, but subsidies for museums rose by only 1 percent, the Museum Association said after its annual survey of 469 affiliated museums.

Because many museums had to draw heavily on their reserves to survive the coronavirus pandemic, many are now in dire straits. Half, 49 percent, ended 2022 in the red. Most of them are medium-sized institutions. The Museum Association expects that number to increase as inflation rose further in 2023.

Museums depend on government subsidies, which comprised 52 percent of their income last year. Another 5 percent was coronavirus support from the government. Museums’ income and expenses were equal last year, at around 1.2 billion euros each. About 70 percent of museums’ costs are housing and staff.

The only bright spot in the report is that Dutch museums got more visitors last year - 23.5 million visits, including 5.4 million from international tourists. That is an increase of 93 percent compared to 2021 when museums were closed for large parts of the year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The rising visitor numbers show us that museums are popular with a wide audience. There are more museum card holders and visitors than ever,” Vera Carasso, director of the Museums Association, told Parool. “But museums’ own income is not sufficient to compensate for the rising costs. If we want museums to remain accessible to a large audience, we must prevent museums from having to further increase their admission prices.

Carasso asked the government to increase subsidies with inflation. “That way, the sector can continue to innovate, offer a good offering, and contribute to connection in our society.”