Latest news with #visitorExperience
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
One-star reviews of world-class museums: ‘It felt more like an airport'
If art really imitates life then the masterpieces at many of the world's most renowned museums should depict long lines, jam-packed galleries, dirty bathrooms, rude employees and miserable visitors. Iconic cultural institutions from Cairo to Paris to New York have earned a permanent slot on sightseeing itineraries. But popularity does not always equal impeccable performance. On review sites such as Tripadvisor and Yelp, travelers gripe about all aspects of the museum experience, from the 'chaotic ticketing and queuing arrangements' at the Louvre to the 'undrinkable coffee and inedible chips and dip' at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Overcrowding is one of the biggest complaints, a downside to the rebound in visitation after the height of the coronavirus pandemic. According to a 2024 survey by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), half of the 464 respondents — all AAM members — have fully recovered or exceeded their pre-pandemic attendance levels. In the United Kingdom, the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions ranked the British Museum as the most-visited site last year, with nearly 6.5 million guests, an increase of about 240,000 from 2019. About 9 million people annually walk through the doors of the Louvre (2020 excluded). In all fairness, the majority of reviewers post glowing remarks. There are also strategies for ensuring an exceptional experience. Natanya Khashan, an AAM spokesperson, recommends using the advance ticketing systems, avoiding the busiest times of the day or week, and visiting museums that cap the number of entries. 'That's a good option for people who can't be in a hyperstimulating or overcrowded space but really want to see the museum,' Khashan said. But you can't please everyone. So we scoured Tripadvisor and Yelp for some of the best one-star reviews. Here are excerpts from the winners. You can't see anything. You can just struggle for air and exit. — 432dijanam, April 2025 It felt more like an airport than a place to enjoy culture. — Gizzardsface, February 2025 Bad organization, 1 bathroom for 3,000 visitors. Dirty, no directions. Surface security checks. WiFi connection nonexistent and employees unable to speak English. Bad museum! — Daniela Di Salvo Pavone, Italy, February 2025 Glass pyramid is an eyesore and does not match the architecture. Shame on them. Toilets filthy. Sandwich at cafe was really good. Never again. Makes you angry with the millions they make they cannot move lines like at Disneyland. — Div L., California, March 2024 My ultimate tip for this place, look for the air conditioning vents on the floor. They are brass looking vents. Just find them and stand on top of them. Enjoy. — Nathan K., Chicago, August 2023 Nowhere to sit down. Cloakrooms with attitude. — AntiRagby582, London, October 2024 Honestly, the art on display is so avant-garde that it is not art, it is paper bags and well-placed chairs. Some other shovel and bicycle wheel. Honestly, I would pay for 100 museums in Europe before this one. — Lucia V., Spain, January 2025 If you want to end the afternoon with a pit in your stomach the size of a black hole and an utter hatred of humanity, I recommend a visit to MoMA. — Natalie V., July 2023 I've no idea what the museum is like as I am still in a queue despite having booked a timed entry ticket. — Amy, United Kingdom, May 2025 Worst scam ever, 34€ to see a staircase with 15 statue (yes I counted them) and three unimportant sarcophagus of minor kings and queens. — Riccardo Sabbadini, Rome, May 2024 Nothing more to see other that people made of clay. … I don't recommend. — puneetmehra, May 2019 Silly Walmart-like chrysanthemum display in sunken garden area. … Just a sad mishmash of objects pilfered by a bored aristocrat with daddy's money to burn. Skip it. — Henny855, Massachusetts, December 2023 There was one room that was just an assortment of junk. It ranged from a Speak and Spell to one of the muppets. Really a muppet. — Donnie C., Indianapolis, September 2019 If you like evolution, dinosaur skeletons, taxidermy and preservation of animals, fossils, and ancient Egyptian mummies and artifacts you'll like this place. We don't. — Allyson H., Indiana, June 2024 The exhibits are like a dark maze. Think Ikea but with wayyyyy less lighting. … I really don't recommend this museum if you love animals, have asthma, or claustrophobia. — Allison P., Indianapolis, April 2024 A total waste of time to drive up from Orange County to see this crap. The only thing somewhat interesting was album covers of music that many I have at home. — ccbillsfan, May 2021 Half the paintings are just some person scribbling with no meaning. — GoPlaces51355181444, June 2024 I felt I like was being served prison food. In fact, I have never seen any self-respecting organization sell such awful stuff. The museum doesn't sell meals anymore, now they sell expensive dog food to people who are visiting from out of town. — Ron L., July 2021 Stick to the copy of David exhibited in the open air in front of the town hall. It is the size of the original and above all it is free. — Pascal B., October 2023 Undoubtedly the worst tourist attraction I've visited in the world. Likened more to a conveyor belt being pushed through at a chook raffle, with nothing to see other than a bunch of old delapidated wooden buildings. Definitely a money grab on all fronts. — Nomad Traveller, Australia, August 2019 It is forbidden, it seems, to enter. — Ellipse, Johannesburg, April 2024 You have to queue up 30 min. for a bottle of water, 45 min. to access toilets. Just horrible, how can you even dare call this a museum! — Flo, Spain, January 2025 I would never come here again. They do not let you take photos of anything within the museum, not even of the information boards next to artifacts or paintings. — Rebecca-Bonnici, Malta, November 2024 We did not see everything, as we eventually got bored and decided to bail on this place. What is worthwhile is the nearby park. — Kyle F., Dallas, August 2024
Telegraph
01-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
How to fix the Eden Project – and Cornwall
From days out with the family to music concerts, the Eden Project has served as a hub of fond memories for Telegraph readers. However, on Tuesday, Greg Dickinson reported on how the Eden Project, Cornwall's flagship tourist attraction, is fighting for survival 25 years after first opening its doors. In January 2025, the Eden Project culled a fifth of its workforce due to declining visitor numbers and rising costs. With the horticultural project facing its biggest challenges to date, readers have outlined the changes they think are needed in order to keep its doors open. Many also highlighted how Cornwall has struggled with wider tourism issues since the pandemic. From reducing entry fees to ending the war on holidaymakers, here's your manifesto on how to fix tourism to the Eden Project and Cornwall. 'Reduce the entry price' General tickets to the Eden Project cost £38 when purchased online, increasing to £42 when bought on the door. These tickets grant a visitor access for an entire year, but readers still feel that the price does not justify the experience. While reader Simon Roberts believes that the project is 'a brilliant concept perfectly executed,' he believes that the cost is 'a big outlay'. He says: 'I appreciate that you can visit as many times as you want for a year, but it's off-putting and the reality is that most will visit during their holidays and won't be back in the area for some time. 'Reduce the entrance prices to get people in and then try and upsell optional food, gifts and items to people once there.' Chris Jeans, who holidays in Cornwall every year, asserts: 'Not enough consideration is given to non-locals.' Instead, Mr Jeans suggests offering 'a 10 per cent reduction in price for each subsequent visit'. 'That way, even after many visits and therefore a low admission, the Eden Project would still make money out of a visit through its shops, restaurants and enthusiastic regulars.' Likewise, Stephen Jakeman doesn't view year-long tickets as 'much use when you live over 100 miles away'. Mr Jakeman calls upon the project to 'have the bottle to drop prices considerably for a day visit'. Andrew Brown argues that the project is not 'value for money'. He says: 'Drop the entrance fee while increasing the plants available to purchase but from a separate on-site location, prioritising the main location for more creative sales opportunities.' 'Make the site worth coming back to see again' Reader Catherine Guild recently visited the project for the second time after first going around five years ago and felt dejected when seeing 'nothing had changed'. She believes the slashing of the project's workforce in January has affected its appearance and could deter others from revisiting. 'It looked unkempt, which annoyed me given the amount of cash they took for the experience,' she shares. Another repeat visitor is Helen Brown who went as a child over 20 years ago and again as an adult in 2021. Despite the vast amount of time between visits, Ms. Brown shares her shock to see some of the material from her first visit still on display. She says: 'A lot of the information boards outside were original and sun-bleached. There was a lot of inside space that had no exhibits and was empty. Apart from the biomes, there is nothing to see there.' In offering a solution, Ms. Brown suggests the project should 'look at how they can maximise their estate and make more of the site worth coming back to see again'. In a similar vein, one-time visitor Ann Stokell says that while she admires the original idea for the project, she feels that 'there is no investment and planning for the future'. 'During Covid, the Cornish ripped off people terribly' Meanwhile, other readers discuss what they deem to be the poor treatment of visitors to Cornwall. The post-pandemic influx of holidaymakers and second homers pushed up prices for residents, fomenting resentment. Reader George Williams lives in Devon and believes that the rising costs of hotels in Devon and Cornwall during and after Covid may have deterred tourists from returning to the area. He says: 'Our local pub was charging over £250 a night for a room and they wonder why people who visited did not come back?' He adds: 'The Cornish ripped off people terribly when they could not go abroad. They now know it is much cheaper to go abroad and much quicker if you live in London.' Dominic Evans, a regular visitor to Cornwall, supports this belief by stating that if 'accommodation was more reasonable, money would be available for attractions,' such as the Eden Project. Reader Richard Watson urges 'the Cornish powers that be' to call for an end to their 'war' on holiday let and second-home owners, thereby encouraging people to visit the area. 'Cornwall is seriously out of the way for most in the UK' Other readers explained that tempting tourists back to the area – and the project – could prove difficult purely based on its location and poor accessibility. Due to Cornwall being 'seriously out of the way for most in the UK,' one reader renders the concept of an annual pass to the Eden Project as useless. He says: 'I disagree with this broad viewpoint of the annual pass meaning you can come in as many times as you want for the rest of the year. Realistically the chance of coming in many times is nonsensical.' Another reader, Peter Wakeman, suggests that 'poor' road links into Cornwall could also be another reason people are deterred from visiting the area. He argues that journeys are turned into 'marathon treks for the relatively short distances involved' and that this is an issue which affects much of the West Country. Reader David Lee believes that Britain should 'put customers first for once by improving the country's infrastructure in order to prevent the country from grinding to a standstill'.
