Virtual visits to museums in the United Kingdom could start to be charged by decision of the British government, an instance that would limit the democratization of these spaces and, at once, it would set a precedent for other great museums in the world to also charge for browsing their website.

“Tengan una mentalidad comercial o perderán financiación en el futuro”, threatened the UK government's Minister of Culture, Oliver Dowden, to the directors of the museums of your country, urging them to raise their own funds during the pandemic.

Following the support package of 1.570 £ million announced last July by the UK government for arts and heritage organizations, el ministro advirtió ahora los directores de museos en una carta que dio a conocer el periódico mensual londinense “The Art Newspaper” que deben hacer mayores esfuerzos para comercializar sus operaciones “si quieren seguir dependiendo del apoyo estatal”.

Dowden sugiere a los directores de estos espacios “adoptar un enfoque lo más comercial posible, aprovechando todas las oportunidades para maximizar las fuentes alternativas de ingresos”.

“Si no lo hacen -aclaró- no estaré en posición de defender ningún apoyo financiero adicional para el sector”.

Economic support from the government - highlights the specialized English media- has been praised for making a significant investment in British culture at an unprecedented time of need. One hundred million pounds went to Britain's fifteen national museums, including the National Gallery and the Tate, which represents an increase in 25% on the total amount of grants in a normal year. Now that help would only come if the institutions manage to generate profits in virtual spaces.

But nevertheless, art directors and critics point out that it is unclear how museums can earn significant additional amounts of revenue with a very small number of visitors. After years of cuts to public funding, museums already generate much of their own income (in Tate's case, the 75%).

This business model is based on an increasing number of visitors and, in particular, on foreign visitors who spend a lot of money. More than two-thirds of visitors to the National Gallery last year were from abroad. No one knows when tourists will visit museums again.

However, Dowden insistió en condicionar el apoyo económico a los museos si estos obtienen más ingresos con “actividades comerciales y de hospitalidad” O “comercializando ofertas digitales”.

The english media, in agreement with the officials of art institutions, they pointed out that the tone of the letter, and above all your message, it's a mistake; since at a purely financial level, no national museum would be in a position to reopen for now; and not even a limited number of visitors could cover the cost of keeping the doors open. However, British museums have felt that it is their public duty to open as soon as possible and have tested all available health protocols to make them safe for the coronavirus..

“The Art Newspaper” concluye su artículo diciendo que “ocho de las diez principales atracciones gratuitas para visitantes de Gran Bretaña son museos nacionales. If the government is serious about returning visitors to city centers, debe darse cuenta de que financiar adecuadamente nuestros museos es una de las formas más rentables de hacerlo”. (Telam)