French Culture Minister Rachida Dati proposed on Thursday to make entry to the Notre-Dame Cathedral chargeable for tourists in order to raise funds to maintain churches across the country.
Dati said a symbolic tariff of five euros per tourist could generate about 75 million euros a year. She told Figaro newspaper:
I proposed to the Archbishop of Paris a simple idea: make a symbolic tariff for all tourist visits to Notre Dame.
The minister also suggested that tourists from non-European Union countries should pay more to visit cultural attractions compared to nationals.
She later clarified on her social network X page that attending church services at Notre Dame would remain free of charge, while the fee would only apply to cultural visits.
The minister also stated that she considers it necessary to differentiate the fee for entrance tickets to French museums and monuments for French citizens and tourists from countries outside the European Union. The latter, in her opinion, should pay more. She added:
Is it normal that a French visitor pays the same entrance fee to the Louvre as a Brazilian or Chinese visitor? I want visitors from outside the EU to pay more for their entrance ticket and for this supplement to go towards financing the renovation of our national heritage.
The Notre-Dame Cathedral, which was damaged in the largest fire on April 15, 2019, will re-open to visitors on December 8, 2024. The fire destroyed the unique wooden roof structure consisting of 800-year-old oak beams.
