Visitorship Up, Revenue Down

More good news! Despite the Getty's financial woes due to the stock market, their visitorship is up--yay! That still doesn't help those who are being/will be laid off, and more admissions to the Getty doesn't necessarily translate into more revenue coming in since the admission price is well, free, but it does show that museums can maintain or even increase the number of people coming through the doors during these trying times.

Couple of thoughts, however. First is, the Getty's visitorship is up and their admission is free. Is that a point in favor of my argument that museums right now should be *lowering* their admission prices rather than *raising* them in order to increase the number of visitors?

Second, does anyone out there have any stats on how the economy is affecting *virtual* museum visits? Are more people going to museum websites? If so, are they stopping there, or are they translating into actual visits to the physical plant?