Americans should expect to pay more if they want to see the most-visited museum in the world.
According to the Associated Press, the Louvre in Paris has approved a ticket hike from 22 to 32 euros ($25 to $37) for non-European visitors to help finance an overhaul of the sprawling historic building.
The price increase, which begins Jan. 14, comes after officials say outdated security measures were exposed by the theft of crown jewels worth $102 million on Oct. 19.
In 2024, the Louvre welcomed 8.7 million visitors, 77% of them foreigners including 13 percent from the U.S. China (6%) and Britain (5%) will also be affected by the price hikes.
Citizens from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, countries that signed up to the European Economic Area agreement, will be exempted from the hike, according to the Associated Press.
“Australians, people from New Zealand, Americans, when they come to see Chambord, sometimes that’s once in a lifetime,” Director Pierre Dubreuil told the Associated Press. “Paying 20 or 30 euros doesn’t change anything.”
Extra fees for international visitors are not unusual in many countries across the world.
The move comes shortly after the U.S. Department of the Interior announced an “America-first” price plan that charges foreign tourists more than Americans to enter 11 of the most visited national parks, including the Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Everglades and Yosemite.
The price hike is part of the so-called “Louvre New Renaissance” plan that is estimated to cost up to $933 million to modernize infrastructure, lessen crowding and give the famed Mona Lisa a dedicated gallery by 2031.
Formed originally as a 12th-century fortress on the Seine in central Paris, the Louvre later becoming a royal palace and finally a public museum in 1793.
It houses an extraordinarily rich collection of about 35,000 artworks spanning over 9,000 years of history, across nearly every major civilization.