Visitor numbers to Jersey Museum have dropped by more than 23% since entry fees were introduced in July.
Jersey Heritage says visitor numbers remained positive during June, before the Government withdrew funding for the free entry trial.
The trust says visitor numbers increased by 15% in June 2026 compared to June 2025, but in July and August, numbers fell by nearly 46% and 38% respectively.
Louise Downie, Jersey Heritage’s Director of Curation & Experience, said:
"The island's heritage belongs to every islander, and we have significantly invested in new displays here at the museum which introduce the island's heritage to islanders.
"It's their heritage - everyone that lives in this really special place. So, it's a pity that we aren't able to share that as extensively as we'd like because of the financial barrier of an entry fee.
"We're always happy to talk to government about the options around making it free again. There are lots of options we can look at."
Admission fees to explore the upper floors and main exhibitions now cost £15.45 for adults.
Apart from Jersey Museum, all Jersey Heritage sites saw an increase in visitors during the summer compared to last year.
Elizabeth Castle topped the list with nearly 23,000 visitors, closely followed by Mont Orgueil.
However, La Hougue Bie saw the largest increase in visitors, with more than 10,100 people visiting the ancient site, up nearly 14% from 2025.
As in the previous year, the most popular site for locals during the summer was Hamptonne Country Life Museum, with Elizabeth Castle topping the list for UK tourists and Mont Orgueil proving to be the favourite for international tourists.
Tourist visits have increased by nearly 6%, but islanders' visits to the sites have decreased by 9%.
Jersey Heritage says the lack of local visits coincided with the heatwaves.
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