英国政府于9月29日（周二）表示，在国家博物馆此前曾提出向游客收取门票以缓解资金紧张的问题后，国家博物馆将继续对外国游客免费开放。
The UK government said on Tuesday, September 29, that national museums would remain free for foreign visitors, after previously floating the idea of charging tourists an entry fee to buoy the cash-strapped sector.
自2001年以来，伦敦大英博物馆和国家美术馆等国家博物馆的常设展览一直对每年数百万游客免费开放，这与许多欧洲和国际同类博物馆不同。政府曾在3月宣布将探索向外国游客收费以增加资金。
Access to permanent collections at national museums such as London's British Museum and National Gallery has been free for the millions of tourists who visit every year since 2001, unlike at many European and international counterparts. The government announced in March it would explore the idea of charging foreign visitors to boost funding.
但经过数月的咨询，文化部门决定不采取这一措施，称此举可能会阻碍国内游客。
But after months of consultation, the culture ministry decided against the move, saying it could risk deterring domestic visitors as well as a result.
数字、文化、媒体和体育部表示，政府认为“收费的影响和好处不会在整个行业均匀分布，因此不会向海外游客收费”。
The government believes the "impacts and benefits of charging would not be felt equally across the sector and therefore will not introduce charges for overseas visitors," the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said.
该部门指出，国家博物馆每年为经济贡献超过10亿英镑（13亿美元）。
The ministry noted that national museums contribute more than £1 billion ($1.3 billion) to the economy every year.
伦敦市长萨迪克·汗表示：“政府承诺继续向所有人免费开放博物馆，这是一个好消息。”
"It's great news that the government has committed to continuing to keep museums free for everyone," London Mayor Sadiq Khan said.
去年，710万人参观了伦敦自然历史博物馆，640万人参观了大英博物馆，该博物馆目前正在举办贝叶挂毯的里程碑式展览，这是该挂毯首次从法国借出。博物馆对临时展览收取门票。
Last year, 7.1 million people visited the Natural History Museum in London and 6.4 million the British Museum, which is currently hosting a landmark exhibition of the Bayeux Tapestry, on loan for the first time from France. Museums charge visitors for entry to temporary exhibitions.
根据政府2023-2024年的数据，国家博物馆43%的游客是外国人。
According to government figures from 2023-2024, 43% of visitors to national museums were foreigners.