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\tThe former director of the British Museum, one of many institutions in London that offers free admission, recently suggested that foreign visitors should pay a \u00a320 ($25) admission fee, a move he said could help raise extra funds.<\/p>\n
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\t\u201cThe money has to come from somewhere,\u201d Mark Jones, who served as interim director last year, told The Sunday Times<\/em> June 30th. <\/p>\n \n \tJones told The Sunday Times<\/em> While museums should be free for British taxpayers and foreign visitors under 25, visitors from abroad should pay general admission fees to institutions such as the British Museum and the Natural History Museum.<\/p>\n \t\trelated articles<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n \t \u201cBritish people place great value on free entry to museums \u2013 it\u2019s our tradition,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople who support museums as taxpayers should not have to pay to visit them.\u201d<\/p>\n \n \tJones said the ticket price of “about \u00a320” would also reduce crowding at the exhibition and the time visitors had to wait to get in. <\/p>\n \n \t\u201cThe museum is so busy that people can\u2019t get the experience they deserve; pushing through the crowds doesn\u2019t allow you to see the collection in its best light,\u201d Jones told The Sunday Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n \tThe former director of the Victoria and Albert Museum also said the extra revenue could be used to increase staff wages and reduce ticket prices for special exhibitions. <\/p>\n \n \tLast December, the British Museum announced a controversial \u00a350 million ($63.3 million) 10-year sponsorship deal with BP, which will fund the renovation and redisplay of the museum’s permanent collection. According to BP, the total cost of the London museum’s “extensive renovation” is between \u00a3400 million and \u00a3500 million. independent.<\/em><\/p>\n \n \tJones was appointed interim director last August after the British Museum admitted in September that more than 1,500 objects in its collection had been lost, stolen or damaged, prompting the resignation of director Hartwig Fischer in August. Nicholas Cullinan was appointed permanent director in March and Jones left this month.<\/p>\n \n \tIn an interview with Jones The Sunday Times<\/em>He also said the institution should share the long-disputed Parthenon Marbles with Greece. <\/p>\n \n \t\u201cIf we wanted to find a way to have a partnership with the Greeks on the Parthenon Marbles, we needed to find a way to finance it,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
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