Extra state support for the Vasa Museum

SMTM, of which the Vasa Museum is part, is among the cultural institutions that will receive extra financial support from the Swedish government, it was announced last week. The Vasa Museum is entirely financed by ticket sales. But with 85 percent of visitors coming from abroad, it has suffered huge financial losses since closing its doors due to the corona crisis.

The exact amount SMTM will receive has yet to be confirmed, however Leif Grundberg, Director-General of SMTM, is cautiously optimistic: “We are grateful and happy that we will receive this much-needed financial aid. When we know how it will be distributed, we will analyse the best way to use it to create as sustainable a financial situation as possible going forward.”

The Corona pandemic will affect the Vasa Museum and her sister museums – the National Maritime Museum, the National Naval Museum and the National Railway Museum – for years to come, as it will take time for tourism to pick up. Regardless of how much it receives in state aid, SMTM will continue to restructure its operations and adapt to the new reality.