We’re still too fresh into the #coronacrapola to realize the long term repercussions. The short term stress on the travel industry has been focused on airlines, cruise lines, hotels, rental cars, and ride-sharing businesses. Many of them have received government assistance to stay running until the economy gets its footing again. But what about a business model that depends on tourism and donations to stay open?
Several of those locations might not survive the economic depression.
In a statement, UNESCO and ICOM (International Council of Museums) shared a concern about if museums can survive in this environment.
On the occasion of International Museum Day, two studies by UNESCO and the International Council of Museums (ICOM) confirm that museums have been especially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly 90% of them, or more than 85,000 institutions, having closed their doors for varying lengths of time during the crisis. Furthermore, in Africa and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS), only 5% of museums were able to offer online content to their audiences. Nearly 13% of museums around the world may never reopen.
Read that last line again. 13% of museums around the world may never reopen.
Places like the MMoA in New York are not in danger. Neither is the British Museum.
What about the film museum we visited in Frankfurt? Can that survive?
Museums are important for many reasons. When we travel, they are places for us to learn about where we are. You can see things online but there’s something about seeing something in person that makes it so much more real.
What about all of the people who have no access to see these things on the internet?
“Museums play a fundamental role in the resilience of societies. We must help them cope with this crisis and keep them in touch with their audiences,” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. “This pandemic also reminds us that half of humanity does not have access to digital technologies. We must work to promote access to culture for everyone, especially the most vulnerable and isolated.”
I remember growing up in the 70s, there was nothing more magical than going to New York to see the museums. Yes, that’s really me.
We’ve visited a museum almost everywhere we’ve traveled. Some of them were fascinating and others not so much. But we always managed to learn something we didn’t know before. Knowing that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant percentage of those museums will close, never to reopen, is depressing.
I hope these numbers are wrong and people will come back and support these locations in even greater numbers than before. Are you with me?
#stayhealthy #staysafe #washyourhands
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
