"The Day the Mona Lisa Took a Break" - The Louvre's Sudden Closure, Behind the Scenes and a Day That Stirred the World

■Introduction: The Day the Dreamy Louvre Was "Closed"

June 16 (Monday), Central Paris. By 9 a.m., a long line had already formed under the glass pyramid designed by I.M. Pei. However, even when the opening time arrived, the doors did not open, and there were no announcements over the PA system. Eventually, a staff member announced over a loudspeaker, "The museum is closed today due to a strike," causing a mix of murmurs and sighs of disappointment. Tourists from travel agencies, students on school trips from Japan, and individual travelers from around the world all raised their smartphones simultaneously, posting the scene on X and Instagram. It quickly went viral, with "#LouvreStrike" becoming a global trend.san.com

■1 Why Strike Now?—The Chronic Disease of "Overtourism"

● Overcrowding and Staff Shortages
Sarah Sefian from the labor union CGT-Culture told reporters, "Handling 30,000 visitors a day with about 2,300 staff is the limit. Temperature control is inadequate, putting both the artworks and people at risk." Last year's visitors numbered 8.7 million, nearly double the capacity for which the museum was designed. Especially in front of the Salon Carré, where the Mona Lisa is displayed, 20,000 people crowd in daily, turning it into a "queue just for taking photos."apnews.com

● Aging Infrastructure
Louvre Director Laurence des Cars warned the government in a memo, stating, "Some roofs are leaking, and the air conditioning is unstable. The preservation environment for the artworks is on the brink of collapse," but no fundamental renovations have been made.san.com

■2 The Flawed Renovation Plan—Will the "New Entrance" Be Ready by 2031?

The French government has decided on an investment of 70 to 80 billion yen under the "Louvre New Renaissance Plan." The plan includes constructing a second large entrance on the east side in addition to the pyramid and setting up a dedicated exhibition room for the Mona Lisa. However, completion is slated for 2031—meaning a six-year wait. "The current crisis is on a 'weekly basis,'" the staff on the ground are increasingly opposing.bild.de

■3 What Was Happening on the Ground—The "Mona Lisa Moan" and Tourists' Outcries

On the day of the closure, Kevin Ward, visiting from the United States, told AP News, "It's the Mona Lisa moan out here." Posts from Japanese tourists lamented, "A once-in-a-lifetime trip to France..." and "Will the tour fee be refunded?" The impact was particularly significant on those for whom "schedule changes are difficult," such as school trips and honeymoons, with travel agencies scrambling to arrange refunds or alternative tourist spots with the museum.san.com

■4 The Reality of "Tourism Pollution" Reflected on SNS

On X,

• "When will the #MonaLisaTrafficJam end?"

• "Tourists should be limited to protect world heritage sites."

• "The Louvre is more crowded than the Tokyo Game Show."

were some of the sarcastic and empathetic comments that flew around.Meanwhile, on social media within France, posts expressing solidarity such as "Improving staff conditions should come first" and "The government is neglecting culture" have spread, extending to a campaign for raising the wages of cultural facility staff. These online discussions have visualized the issue of overtourism and acted as a catalyst to accelerate policy debates. *The examples of posts are summaries of typical content from public accounts. Actual handles are withheld.

■5 Impact on Japanese Travelers

● Impact on the Travel Industry
A representative from major travel agency HIS stated, "We have about 10,000 museum viewing reservations just for the summer vacation, and rescheduling is a major task." As it is becoming widely known that "advance reservations are mandatory" even for individual travelers, closure information must be disseminated in real-time to avoid complaints. Several companies have already urgently created "Louvre × Orsay alternative tours."

● Measures Travelers Should Take
① Check operational information in advance on official sites and X
② Avoid "morning and final slots" and book the more flexible afternoon slots
③ Reconfirm the terms of the Paris Museum Pass in advance (there is no closure compensation)

Furthermore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a travel advisory (spot information) warning that "strikes can occur without notice." Since Japanese travel insurance may exclude "unexpected facility closures" from coverage, it is essential to recheck the coverage details.san.com

■6 "Tourism Rebellion" Spreading Across Europe

In Spain, there are demonstrations targeting tourists with water guns, in Venice, Italy, an entrance fee has been introduced, and in the Acropolis, Greece, entry restrictions have been implemented, with calls for the protection of cultural assets increasing. The Louvre is a microcosm of this, indicating that the traditional success model of "tourism equals economy" is at a turning point.san.com

■7 Exploring Solutions—Technology × Cultural Asset Protection

• Traffic Flow Diversion: Establish multiple routes besides the pyramid and strengthen one-way routes inside the museum

• AI Congestion Forecasting: Display congestion levels with color coding on a smart ticket app

• Digital Twin: Publish high-definition 3D scans to differentiate between on-site viewing and online experiences

• Viewing Rights Auction: Implement dynamic pricing during peak seasons (Mona Lisa slots have time-based price variations)

These are gaining attention as applications of "time-specific + dynamic pricing" conducted at popular theme parks and Ghibli Park in Japan.

■8 Culture and Labor—The Perspective of Strike Nation France

In France, strikes at cultural facilities are seen as an "extension of social dialogue." In 2019, during the pension system reform, the Orsay and the Opera House were closed, but public opinion showed a certain understanding towards the strikers, viewing the government as "destroying culture." This time, support is evenly split, but criticism of the Macron administration's cultural policies is strong.san.com

■9 What Japan Can Learn

1. Balancing Cultural Heritage and Tourism Revenue

2. Improving Staff Treatment Directly Links to Service Quality

3. Crisis Management PR in the Age of Social Media

4. Alleviating Congestion by Enhancing Remote Viewing Content

Tourism concentration is also becoming an issue at Nara's Todai-ji and Kyoto's Kiyomizu-dera, and the Louvre's case is not just someone else's problem.

■Final Chapter: Thinking About the Future Under the Pyramid

The Louvre strike might end in a day. However, the root of the problem is deep. "Protecting art" and "the right for everyone to access art" should inherently coexist. To achieve this, tourists, museums, and the government need to step forward in a trinity to "redesign the viewing experience." Each traveler should accept the rule of "visitor limits to ensure time to view the artworks" and keep in mind that their actions influence the future of cultural heritage.apnews.com