The Louvre Museum in Paris, France, which attracts the most tourists in the world, has ultimately stopped operations due to a collective strike by staff exhausted from 'mass tourism.' It is unusual for a global landmark that has not paused even amidst the pandemic, terror, and war to completely cease operations.
According to the Associated Press on the 17th (local time), the Louvre Museum closed its doors without prior notice the day before. Thousands of tourists waiting to enter had to turn away. Kevin Ward (62), a tourist from Wisconsin, said, "This place was literally where you could hear the 'Monalisa moan,'" adding, "It seems even she needed a day off."
This strike was a collective action voluntarily participated in by gallery guides, ticket office staff, and security personnel. Reasons for the strike include ▲ endless tourist queues ▲ chronic staff shortages ▲ aging facilities ▲ poor working conditions.
The Louvre Museum is a massive tourist destination that attracts about 20,000 visitors daily and 8.7 million annually. However, it has been suffering from issues such as leaks, temperature instability, and a lack of restrooms for quite some time. According to leaked internal reports, some parts of the museum are in a state where they no longer have waterproofing, and external temperature changes pose a direct threat to the exhibits.
One employee stated to the Associated Press, "Not only is there a lack of rest areas and restrooms, but I also feel the limits of my stamina every day in a museum where we cannot even appreciate the works, without any temperature control."
This strike is the third following those in 2013 and 2019, but it is unusual for the museum to cease operations entirely without prior notice. Some employees opened a limited number of sections focused on representative works in the 'Masterpiece Route' that afternoon.
The museum is scheduled to resume normal operations starting Wednesday, following its regular closure on Tuesday.