The FC Barcelona Museum ended 2022 with great news in terms of visitors numbers. After two years, since March 2020 when figures started to drop well below normal due to travel restrictions arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, in November and December 2022 not only were numbers back to their normal levels, but they even surpassed those of the 2019, before the pandemic brought the world to a standstill.
The museum closed November 2019 with more than 76,406 visitors, while 2022 saw 77,465 people pass through the doors, 1,059 (1.3%) more than the 2019 figure. Meanwhile, the December improvement was even better, leaping up from 86,143 personas in 2019 to 94,916 in 2022. That's 8,773 (10%) more tickets sold.
The world's top sports museum
The latest figures are an amazing sign of what will hopefully be further increases throughout 2023, and show just how much of an interest Barça and football fans in general have in exploring the museum and enjoying the different experiences that it offers.
"We closed 2022 with 1.3 million visitors. That's still below the usual numbers but we continue to be the most visited museum in Catalonia, the third in Spain and the most important sports museum in the world", says its director Jordi Penas. "The most popular spaces are the five Champions Leagues, the Leo Messi section and the view of the pitch."
New location
But the museum is going to be faced with a new challenge in the short-term future. Due to the remodelling work on the Spotify Camp Nou, it is temporarily going to be moved the the current site of the ice rink, next to the Palau Blaugrana. This 2400 m2 facility will be divided into different zones to create a better visitor experience. Eventually, the museum will be getting a brand new home inside the new-look Spotify Camp Nou in the 2024/25 season.
The temporary museum will serve three principal purposes. First, it is being used as a pilot project for the implementation of virtual reality, immersive activities and holograms that will ultimately feature in the new museum in the Spotify Camp Nou. Second, it will set new standards in technology, modernity and innovation. And third, it will ensure that a major source of income can be maintained throughout the stadium development process.