Museums experiment with new approaches to admission fees

Earning money from admission charges has been vital for many museums for some time. But as the pressure to generate income intensifies due to rising costs and declining public funding, the sector is becoming increasingly reliant on this form of revenue.

As a result, many museums are experimenting with new approaches to admission fees. For some, particularly national museums obligated to offer free entry to permanent collections, the focus is on temporary exhibitions.

For others, it is about making decisions on charging for general admission, whether that is introducing a fee for the first time, increasing existing charges or developing a range of price points to target different groups.

Research into charging

Last December, the Association of Independent Museums published Research into Admissions Pricing Policy in Museums and its Impact.

The report was developed with Arts Council England, Museums Galleries Scotland, the Welsh Government, the National Museum Directors’ Council and Art Fund. It was carried out by DC Research in partnership with Durnin Research.

Just over half (51%) of museums responding to the survey charge for general admission, while 36% do not levy any kind of entry fee. It was also found that 8% charge for both general entry and to specific exhibitions, while 4% charge for admission to specific exhibitions only.

Overall, the report showed that 64% of museums charge for admission in some form.

Comparing these results with the Taking Charge research (2016) shows that a higher proportion of museums now charge for general admission (51% in 2023 compared with 42% in 2016), with a decrease in those that do not charge at all (from 43% to 36%).

There has also been a fall in the proportion of museums that charge for both general admission and specific exhibitions (from 12% to 8%).

For museums that have altered their charging strategy, by far the most common change was an increase in admission prices (70%), followed by the introduction of new types of admission ticket (30%).

Only 5% of respondents report having dropped their admission prices since 2016, while 18% have moved from charging for admission to free entry during this period.

One of the key concerns about charging for entry is that it excludes those who can’t afford it. This is particularly relevant with the current cost-of-living crisis.

Rachael Browning, the director of programmes and policy at Art Fund, says: “Admission cost is a key barrier to entry, with the admissions pricing research finding that museums that moved from charging for admission to free entry improving visitor numbers, as well as positively impacting on the demography and diversity of visitors.”

Mixed model

Despite this, more museums are looking at introducing charging to remain financially viable. But Browning says organisations can find ways to still be inclusive, while charging for certain things.

“A mixed model where a museum has both free entry and charges for elements of its collections or programming can support income generation and widening audiences,” she says.

Browning cites the Charles Dickens Museum in London, which introduced a partnership-linked free-entry policy. This involves working with charities, partners and community groups to identify audience groups in need and offering them free entry.

Other approaches include introducing an annual membership where visitors pay once for unlimited access to the museum for a year, which some museums have been offering for a while. Other options include offering free entry for local residents and for children with paying adults.

For national museums that offer free entry to their permanent collections, charging admission for temporary exhibitions has become key to their business.

Tate has a high-profile temporary exhibitions programme, although most of what the institution offers is free.

“Our visitors understand that exhibitions offer a different kind of experience – whether that’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see particular works brought together or a fascinating story built on years of painstaking research,” says a spokesperson.

“When setting ticket prices for those exhibitions, we need to ensure we recoup the time and resources invested in staging them, while ensuring we compare favourably with other kinds of in-person cultural experiences like cinema, music and sport.

“We collaborate with colleagues across the organisation to deliver both ticket income and audience diversity within the resources we have available. This means the creation of dynamic and attractive marketing assets with broad appeal, and programming events and opportunities for specific target audiences to encourage access and engagement.”

Charging for admission not only generates income directly from ticket sales, but is a vital opportunity to drive membership.

Tate’s spokesperson says: “Our membership scheme is our single biggest source of income after the government, and we know that our members love the breadth of our exhibition programme.

“If every show had to work as a standalone ‘product’, it would be much harder for us to take risks. But when you have a core group of loyal supporters who want to be challenged and surprised from one season to the next, being adventurous in our programming decisions becomes a necessity rather than a luxury.”

Further experimentation

As entry fees are such a vital source of income for museums, there is likely to be further experimentation with charging models. Some are considering putting more emphasis on donations, while others are trialling new payment models.

The Admissions Pricing Policy research found that only 2% of museums have used dynamic pricing for admission, although one-fifth have considered it.

The Victoria and Albert Museum has never tried dynamic or pay-what-you-like pricing, but says it is always thinking about where and how these might be applicable. Its model at Young V&A currently allows visitors to come as many times as they like with one ticket, which is a departure for the organisation.

The Admissions Pricing Policy research also found that 9% of respondents have used pay what you can/pay what you like, while a further fifth have considered it.

Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales trialled pay-what-you-can entry for this year’s Art of the Selfie exhibition at National Museum Cardiff, while last year, the University of East Anglia’s Sainsbury Centre adopted this approach for general admission.

With pressure to increase self-generated income looking set to continue, more museums will experiment with new approaches to admission charges, while hopefully considering the ethical implications that come with this.

How is exhibition pricing determined?

The National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, generally offers two paid special exhibitions each year. Several factors dictate the pricing.

A spokesperson says: “We take account of historical ticket sales data, target audiences, potential local, domestic and international audience interest, and seasonality, and benchmark with peer organisations.

“We ensure we have a range of concessionary prices, so they are more accessible to the over-60s, students, unemployed visitors, visitors with disabilities, under-16s and school groups, for example.

“We have invested a huge amount in improving our free galleries, and we have developed an extensive and popular core offer with very wide appeal.

“We use exhibitions to explore deeper or different connections with our collections and, as the staging of exhibitions becomes increasingly expensive, it is essential that we charge.”