KUALA LUMPUR - The Agency for Cultural Affairs plans to ask independent administrative institutions that operate national facilities to examine the introduction of the system, according to a Yomiuri Shimbun report on December 29, 2025.

National museums and art galleries are usually funded not only by their own earnings but also by national subsidies. 

The Finance Ministry said that eight of 11 national museums and galleries received more than half of their revenue from government subsidies in the last fiscal year.

Rising inbound tourism has driven up costs to install multilingual panels and audio guides, prompting consideration of a new pricing system.

Finance Ministry estimates suggest foreign visitors would pay about two to three times the standard admission fee under a two-tier system.

Similar systems have already been introduced abroad, such as at the pyramids in Egypt and the Taj Mahal in India.

Tokyo Art Beat, a leading bilingual art media platform, noted that the proposal raises fundamental questions beyond revenue generation, including who public cultural institutions are meant to serve.

Concerns remain about whether higher fees for foreign visitors could limit access to culture, undermine fairness for residents and taxpayers, or risk being perceived as discriminatory, depending on how the policy is designed.