Quebecers have started to see exhibitions again, according to the latest bulletin from the Observatory of Culture and Communications of the Institute of Statistics of Quebec. In 2022, 10.6 million visitors visited a museum institution, an increase of 57% compared to 2021.
That year, in 2021, 6.8 million entries were recorded, a low score largely attributable to the pandemic.
The Observatory nevertheless notes that the increase in attendance in 2022 remains 30% lower than the average attendance for the years 2015 to 2019, which amounted to 15.2 million entries. But the gap tends to decrease. Last December, it was only 1%.
The Culture Observatory also notes a sharp increase in school visits which went from 200,000 in 2021 to 600,000 in 2022, an increase of 240%. Once again, the gap with the average for the years 2015 to 2019 tends to narrow, which suggests a return to normal at the end of 2023.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Exhibition on biomimicry in transportation at the Montreal Science Center
Another interesting highlight: the growing popularity of “science museums”. These welcomed 3.5 million visitors in 2022, exceeding the average for the years 2015-2019 established at 3.4 million. In contrast, “art museums” welcomed 900,000 visitors in 2022, a deficit of 52% compared to the pre-pandemic average.
Finally, the regions that stand out for their attendance rate closest to the pre-pandemic average are Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine (-8%) and Bas-Saint-Laurent (-11%) while those which are lagging significantly behind the years 2015-2019 are Outaouais (-79%), Laurentides (-47%), Mauricie (-39%), Centre-du-Québec (-37%) and Abitibi-Témiscamingue (-32%).
Among the 30 most visited museum institutions, 13 are located on the island of Montreal and seven in the Capitale-Nationale region. The remaining 10 are located in eight regions of Quebec.