What is the overall impact of the Louvre on France’s economy?
Mr. Loyrette: It is difficult to say. It’s difficult to say, but when you do say, as we just did, that there are 2 million American visitors to France each year and that 1.2-1.3 million go to the Louvre, one sees right away that it is an important attraction, and that it is a motor for attracting foreign tourists. It would be hard to imagine what would be Paris and what would be France without the Louvre. The repercussions would go far beyond just the number of tickets that have been bought. GlobalAtlanta: Is there much of an effort being undertaken to bring young people from different social categories to the Louvre? Mr. Loyrette: That is a very special kind of work. We receive each year 500,000 students, that is to say youth who are of school age. It’s a public that obviously is very disparate coming from very different neighborhoods. We are particularly aware of people, and the youth, for whom access to cultural events is difficult because of the circumstances in which they live. Le
