Dutch museums threaten to close because of pandemic

Around 100 museums in the Netherlands warned that they might have to close because of the coronavirus crisis if they don’t receive financial support, the Dutch museum association said on Thursday.

The association conducted a survey of its 430 member institutions, which showed that especially small museums with fewer than 40,000 yearly visitors are threatened by bankruptcy if they don’t receive subventions.

At the beginning of the pandemic, the government provided 300 million euros (342 million dollars) in aid to cultural institutions, although the money benefited mainly large museums, while small ones remain dependent on their own revenue, the association said.

The museum association called for the government to support small cultural institutions as well.

After three months of closure, Dutch museums reopened their doors on June 1 to a limited number of visitors.

The lack of tourists is costing museums around 80 per cent of their revenue from ticket sales, souvenir sales and restaurant or cafe visits, the association said.

Most museums foresee making further losses in the coming year due to continuing low visitor numbers.

The whole cultural sector in the Netherlands is expected to make 2.6 billion euros of losses due to the coronavirus crisis.