According to the International Council of Museum (ICOM) Statutes, adopted during the 21st General Conference in Vienna, Austria, in 2007: ‘A museum is a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment.’
Obviously it is vital that the national museums and galleries, set up over a time of numerous years, ought to be seen to be inviting by all divisions of society. Notwithstanding, their function is not only to exist, or even to preserve objects for future eras; they are there for everyone’s advantage. In the early 1990s when most of the national museums and galleries began charging for admission, there has been an abundance change of demeanor in the segment. Increasingly, directors and operators are guaranteeing that these establishments have ended up outward-confronting and determined by open interest, as opposed to internal looking and preservation fixate. To a few, this has spoken to the 'stupefying' of the museums and galleries, yet for some individuals, this procedure has dragged these organizations into the twentieth, if not the twenty first yet, century. The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in this context promise to guaranteeing free admission for all guests and visitors to the national museums and galleries. However, as at December 2001, every one of those of the national museums and galleries which charges for admission had come back to a free admission footing. The British Museum, Tate Modern, National Gallery and Natural History Museum are all examples of government owned museums and galleries which will be considered mainly in this context.
According to Travers (2006), in the absence of legitimate resources, internally-produced/sourced income to museums and galleries had not been growing as fast as staffing and other escalating expenses in the economy. It was impossible that the convoluted goals set for museums and galaxies may keep on being met, hence, extra pay sources was required. Museums and galleries are costly to manage, with the expenditure of procurement, maintenance, management, work force pay rate, distinctive exhibitions all measuring vigorously upon their funding. Most of the time, much of their financing originates from the government, with the rest sourced through donations, remuneration from gallery shops, private gifts and sponsorship, and, frequently, through entrance charges. Examples of where the entrance charges where being introduced are the London, National History Museum; and in most divisions of other National Museums in Britain and global Europe (O'Hagan and Duffy, 1994).
This is due to the pressure to meet up the expenses of running the museum. According to the man who led the campaign, Roya Nikkhah in the Daily telegraph on May 23rd, 2009 wrote that ‘National Museums and galleries could be compelled to reintroduce admission charges to withstand the recession.’ However, according to a spokesman for the National Museum Directors’ Conference who represented the United Kingdom’s leading Museums, said, ‘Directors would do all that they could to abstain from reintroducing admission fees, and would take a gander at all different choices initially, however depending on how awful things get, it could be a true final resort'. Therefore, what are the impacts of admission charges in museums and galleries services?
MUSEUM AS A SUBJECT MATTER FOR ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
Museums and galleries which adopts art galleries are real stores of a nation’s load of items and exhibits for educational and social value. A number of them are research establishments in their own notable right and offers primary material for touring researchers. They are critical establishments which utilizes considerable measures of workforce and capital in performing their