Paper short abstract:

Whether in museums, palaces, religious sites, imposing buildings, or artistic legacies, the quality of "grandeur" attracts tourists' awe and admiration. This paper unpacks the concept of "grandeur" and sheds light on the ways in which it is created through guided tours in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Paper long abstract:

Referring to the quality or state of being grand and magnificent, "grandeur" is an exemplary instance of the "large." Whether in heritage museums, palaces, religious sites, imposing buildings, or artistic legacies, the quality of "grandeur" is an object of attraction and admiration. Yet, we know little about the associated meanings and workings of grandeur in tourism contexts. While it is easier to apprehend grandeur in terms of size of natural settings, grasping its qualities when facing products of culture is not an easy undertaking. If grandeur has such a powerful grasp in tourist imagination, what are the ways in which tourism professionals use it in their marketing endeavors? How do we make "grandeur"? This paper aims to unpack the concept of "grandeur" and shed light on the ways in which it is used in the context of St. Petersburg, Russia. Built in the beginning of the eighteenth century as the new capital of Russia, it soon became the hub of a colossal Eurasian Empire. Today, its historic center with related groups of monuments has been designated a World Heritage Site. It attracts more than five million tourists a year and is included among the top destinations in the world. Ethnographic fieldwork was focused on guided tours offered to international tourists. Paying attention to licensed guides provided opportunities to theorize the discursive construction of an Empire, that, although it ceased to exist since the beginning of the twentieth century, it still casts a shadow of grandeur to St. Petersburg visitors.