The Pantheon had never been to such a party! In 2022, the Parisian temple broke its attendance record, approaching one million visitors (949,445) for the first time in its history. A success that is not an isolated case. After experiencing two years of terrible scarcity, a consequence of the Covid-19 crisis, French monuments have regained colors and frequentation often equal to that of 2019, considered a good year. Something to give a smile to those who feared, as for other cultural activities, not to see the end of the tunnel yet…
Among the stars of Paris, the Arc de Triomphe, at the top of the monuments managed by the CMN (Centre des monuments nationaux), attracted more than 1,754,000 visitors, more than in 2019, and an increase of… 244% compared to compared to 2021. Just after, the Sainte-Chapelle found more than 1.2 million faithful (+ 222%). Without winning back the 6.2 million tourists in 2019, the Eiffel Tower is getting closer: 5.849 million took their ticket last year, compared to 2.1 in 2021.
“No one expected such a strong and rapid recovery”
Outside the capital, the recovery is less strong but does exist. The abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel has not returned to its more than 2 million curious people, but shows an increase of 111% compared to 2021 (1,285 visitors). Montmajour Abbey in Arles (Bouches-du-Rhône) and Carrouges Castle (Orne) have improved their score from three years ago.
“These figures are a real good surprise,” says Delphine Samsoen, CMN’s general manager. I don’t think anyone expected such a strong and rapid recovery. The hundred sites we manage welcomed more than 10.1 million visitors in 2022, almost as many as in 2019. We had counted on 6.7… she confides. This revival is largely explained by the return of foreign tourists, she notes. The Europeans, but especially the Americans have returned. On the other hand, the Asian public is still absent, which means that certain sites, such as the Palace of Versailles, have done much better than in 2021 but have not yet reached their pre-epidemic attendance (–16% compared to 2019)”.
However, this influx does not explain everything in the eyes of the general manager. “The French public is also behind these good figures. If we go into detail, there are explanations for each monument. The Pantheon benefits, for example, from the media coverage of the recent arrival of Josephine Baker, she believes. Overall, I think several factors came into play. Proximity, the desire of the French to reclaim a part of the collective memory, just like that of being in the open air, in gardens, as is often the case when one walks through a castle or an abbey. Finally, the price too. In our monuments, the entrance is free for people under 26 years old. For a family of four, that means an entrance fee of 30 euros maximum…”