Museums ticket prices will increase 50% later his month, Samiollah Makarem Hosseini, deputy for development affairs at the Iran Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, was quoted as saying by ISNA Saturday.
The news comes on amid protests by cultural heritage advocates, who say raising admission fees will hurt museum visits.
Officials at the ICHHTO deny the assertions, arguing that the fees are very low and increasing ticket prices is essential for optimizing services offered by museums.
Statistics show average museum visits rose by 15% during the Norouz holidays (March 20 – April 2), indicating 10 million more visits compared to the same time last year.
To attract more tourists, discount packages are offered to museumgoers throughout the year, according to Mohammad Reza Kargar, director of museum affairs at ICHHTO and a proponent of the price hike.
In June, the organization increased the working hours of museums following heavy criticism from experts who said the short working hours was an obstacle to attracting more visitors and increasing revenue.
ICHHTO-operated museums operate from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, including weekends. Furthermore, the museums only close on six public holidays, including the Day of Ashura and death anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
