Government rules out charges for international tourists as museums receive further investment
England’s national museums will continue to offer free admission to all visitors, including tourists from overseas, the Government has confirmed.
The decision preserves the universal free-entry policy introduced in 2001 and rules out proposals to charge international visitors as museums seek to strengthen their finances and address rising maintenance costs.
Earlier this year, the Government began examining whether overseas admission fees could provide additional income for museums. The review followed recommendations from Baroness Margaret Hodge’s independent assessment of Arts Council England, published in December 2025, and involved discussions with museums, tourism organisations and local authorities.
However, ministers concluded that introducing charges for overseas visitors could discourage people from visiting museums altogether, including visitors from the UK. The Government also found that the financial effects of such a policy would vary considerably between institutions and regions.
As a result, no new admission charges for international visitors will be introduced.
The Government said free access remains central to ensuring that the country’s national collections are available to everyone, while also supporting the museums’ role in attracting international tourism.
National museums generate more than £1 billion for the UK economy each year and account for seven of the country’s ten most visited museums. Their collections attract millions of visitors annually: the Natural History Museum recorded 7.1 million visits in 2025, while the British Museum welcomed 6.4 million.
The Government is also increasing financial support for museums through a range of programmes. The £1.5 billion Arts Everywhere Fund includes £760 million earmarked for museums, while a separate £600 million programme is helping national museums and other DCMS-sponsored cultural organisations tackle major maintenance and infrastructure needs.
The investment is intended to help institutions modernise their estates and fulfil commitments to make their collections and expertise accessible to audiences across the country, while continuing to attract visitors from abroad.
Regional and local museums will receive a further £160 million. The Museum Estates and Development Fund will support efforts to address accumulated maintenance backlogs, while the £13.6 million Museum Transformation programme will help museums develop more financially sustainable operating models.
The Government will also work with Arts Council England and the wider museum sector to establish a long-term strategy for the future of museums in England. Further details of the strategy are expected to be announced at a later date.
The decision means visitors to England’s national museums will continue to be able to access major collections and exhibitions without paying an entrance fee, regardless of where they come from.
This version uses a more newspaper-style headline and substantially restructures the original release while retaining the key figures, funding commitments and Government rationale. Photo by Chiuchihmin, Wikimedia commons.
