The number of visitors to Dutch museums remained virtually the same in 2024 as in the previous year. According to the Museum Association, museums collectively attracted 30.8 million people last year, while small museums saw a growth of 8 percent.
“The Museum Card plays an important role in this,” the association says about the increased popularity of smaller museums. Last year, 1.5 million people had such a card, which gives them unlimited access to the 473 affiliated museums. Young people are still the smallest group of cardholders, but this group is growing the fastest.
More than a quarter of museum visitors came from abroad, a number comparable to 2023.
Museums generated a total turnover of 1.31 billion euros. Almost half of this came from their own income, such as ticket sales and museum shops. In addition, museums received 665 million euros in subsidies. The sector employs around 44,000 people, 66 percent of whom are volunteers or interns.