海外游客将继续免费进入英格兰的国家博物馆。此前，政府、博物馆、旅游业和地方领导人经过数月讨论，部长级官员决定不向海外游客收费。
Overseas visitors will continue to have free entry to England’s national museums after ministers decided against charging them after months of discussions between the government, museums, the tourism sector and local leaders.
部长级官员曾在3月表示，“对国家博物馆的国际游客收费可能带来显著收益”，并承诺探讨各种方案，包括研究让海外游客付费是否能改善这些机构的财务状况。
Ministers said in March that “charging international visitors at national museums could provide significant benefits” as they promised to explore options including examining whether making overseas tourists pay could boost the institutions’ finances.
他们当时是在回应前工党大臣玛格丽特·霍奇于12月发布的一份独立评估报告。霍奇在报告中表示，对国际游客收费的模式“将使英国与新西兰和新加坡等其他国家对国际游客收取门票、同时保留公民和居民免费入场的做法保持一致”。英国文化、媒体和体育部周二确认，所有人仍可免费入场。
They were responding to an independent review published in December by former Labour minister Margaret Hodge who said a charging model for international tourists “would align the UK with other countries, such as New Zealand and Singapore, that charge an entry fee to international visitors while retaining free entry for citizens and residents”. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) confirmed on Tuesday that free admission would remain in place for everyone.
该部门表示：“政府认为，向海外游客收费可能会抑制国内游客参观，而且收费的影响和收益在整个行业中并不会均衡体现，因此不会对海外游客引入收费。”博物馆全面免费开放制度由托尼·布莱尔领导的工党政府于2001年推出。
It said: “The government believes that charging overseas visitors could deter domestic visitors and that the impacts and benefits of charging would not be felt equally across the sector and therefore will not introduce charges for overseas visitors.”Universal free admission to museums was introduced by Tony Blair’s Labour government in 2001.
英国文化、媒体和体育部表示，国家博物馆每年为经济贡献超过10亿英镑，并吸引来自世界各地的游客。2025年，自然历史博物馆和大英博物馆分别吸引了710万和640万人次参观。
National museums contribute more than £1bn a year to the economy and attract visitors from around the world, the DCMS said, with the Natural History Museum and the British Museum drawing 7.1 million and 6.4 million visitors respectively in 2025.
政府强调，通过15亿英镑的“艺术无处不在基金”为博物馆提供7.6亿英镑资金，并为国家博物馆提供6亿英镑基础设施资金。
The government highlighted £760m in funding for museums through its £1.5bn Arts Everywhere Fund, as well as £600m in infrastructure funding for national museums.
政府表示，1360万英镑的博物馆转型计划将帮助相关机构转向更可持续的商业模式，同时部长级官员将与英格兰艺术委员会及该行业合作，制定博物馆长期战略计划，更多细节将另行公布。
It said the £13.6m museum transformation programme would help organisations move towards more sustainable business models, while ministers would work with Arts Council England and the sector on a long-term strategic plan for museums, with further details to be announced.
伦敦市长萨迪克·汗表示：“政府承诺继续免费向所有人开放博物馆，这真是个好消息。
London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, said: “It’s great news that the government has committed to continuing to keep museums free for everyone.
伦敦的博物馆和美术馆堪称世界级的瑰宝，每年吸引着来自全球各地的数百万人前来参观；它们也体现了我们的信念：享受文化应该是每个人的权利，而非特权。
“London’s museums and galleries are the envy of the world, drawing millions from across the globe and an embodiment of our belief that access to culture is a right, not a privilege.
通过让这些重要的文化场所对所有人开放，我们将继续教育下一代、为他们带来娱乐，同时证明伦敦为何是世界文化之都。同时，我们也在为所有人打造一个更加公平、更具包容性的城市。”
“By keeping these important venues open to all, we will continue to educate and entertain generations to come and show why we are the culture capital of the world, as we build a fairer, more inclusive London for everyone.”