Fake tickets to Louvre Museum linked to China

French media reported on Thursday that fake tickets of admission for the Louvre Museum came from China, according to the Global Times.

The Global Times quoted a report by Le Parisien that details how fake tickets held by Chinese tourists have been found on several occasions since Aug 12. The Belgium customs confiscated 3,600 fake tickets for the Louvre from a parcel from China late last month.

The public relations department at the museum told the Global Times that it was the first time that such a large amount of fake tickets for the Louvre had been discovered. The museum cooperated with French police in its investigation and was more vigilant in checking tickets, the department said.

Long Xuewu, secretary-general of the Chinese Tourism Association in France, told the newspaper that it was the first time he had heard of the ticket scam since he came to France 20 years ago.

The Louvre Museum is the largest museum in France with a collection of more than 400,000 exhibits. Depending on what tourists see, the tickets cost between 12 euros and 16 euros. The ticketing system, however, is not electronic, which leaves room for fabrication, the Global Times said.

Li Xiaotong, chairman of Mandarin Voyages, a travel agency in France whose clients are mostly Chinese tourists, considered the scam an act by a handful of people because tickets for the Louvre are not expensive.