Québec, October 2, 2023. – In 2022, there were 10.6 million visitors to museum institutions in Québec. This number was up 57% from 6.8 million in 2021, but was still 30% lower than the average for 2015 to 2019, which was 15.2 million admissions. However, the gap narrowed remarkably as the months went by and was down to only 1% in December. The number of admissions at the end of 2022 could indicate that museum institution attendance is coming back to pre-pandemic levels.
This was revealed in the bulletin La fréquentation des institutions muséales en 2022 published today by the Observatoire de la culture et des communications of the Institut de la statistique du Québec. It presents the latest annual results on the number of admissions to museums, exhibition centres, and interpretation sites.
Admissions to respondent museum institutions by month, Québec, 2015–2019 average and 2022
1. Musées, lieux d'interprétation et centres d'exposition qui ont répondu au moins une fois au questionnaire d'enquête au cours des quatre trimestres de l'année considérée.
Source
Institut de la statistique du Québec, Observatoire de la culture et des communications du Québec.
Science museums prove popular
With 3.5 million intramural visitors (i.e. on-site visitors, both inside and outside the museum institutions) in 2022, science museums were the only category that had more admissions than their 2015–2019 average (3.4 million). In contrast, the art museum category (0.9 million admissions) was the furthest away from its pre-pandemic results
(-52%).
Strong increase in school group admissions
School visitors were back in large numbers in the museum network. The number of admissions rose from 0.2 million in 2021 to 0.6 million in 2022, a 240% increase. Between the months of October and December, 0.2 million school group visitors attended museum institutions, which was slightly lower (-7%) than the 2015–2019 average for the fourth quarter.
Museum attendance by region
In 2022, the regions that recorded intramural attendance levels closest to their 2015–2019 average were Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine (-8%) and Bas-Saint-Laurent (-11%). The difference between 2022 and pre-pandemic attendance remained significant in five regions: Outaouais (-79%), Laurentides (-47%), Mauricie (-39%), Centre-du-Québec
(-37%), and Abitibi-Témiscamingue (-32%).
Among the top 30 most-visited institutions, 13 are located on the Montréal Island and 7 in the Capitale-Nationale region. The remaining 10 are distributed among eight other Québec administrative regions.
The Institut de la statistique du Québec produces, analyzes and disseminates official, objective and quality statistical information on various aspects of Québec society. It is responsible for conducting all statistical surveys of general interest. The relevance of its work makes it a strategic ally for decision makers and all those wishing to learn more about Québec.