UK considers charging visitors to national museums and galleries

The British government is considering introducing admission fees for visitors to permanent collections at national museums and galleries as it works on a plan to improve arts funding.

The move comes as authorities respond to a review by Arts Council England, which distributes public arts funding, stating the need for a long-term solution to support the struggling arts sector.

Since 2001, national museums and galleries have been free to all visitors, a landmark policy credited with boosting visitor numbers and tourism. The Treasury previously considered cutting costs in the November 2025 budget, including scrapping free admission, but the plan was shelved following opposition from culture ministers.

However, think tank The Cultural Policy Unit director Alison Cole called charging international visitors a "very bad idea," suggesting instead that a hotel tax would be a better way to save civic museums and cultural infrastructure across the country.

An independent survey by the Art Fund found 72 percent of the public support introducing a tourism tax to subsidise free entry to national museums.