City as a Museum: Issues & Challenges of Cultural Tourism in Saint Petersburg

Abstract

Cultural tourism has been approached from both positive and negative perspectives. In a city with the rich cultural background, the city’s growth is mainly considered as a result of the growth in the tourism industry, but if the city's tourism carrying capacity exceeds its permissible limit, the daily life of local residents will be disturbed. This paper illustrates the need for studying local host’s perception of cultural tourism development and inspects the host’s tourism potential and local competence in the city of Saint Petersburg. The transition of the city’s active role to the passive role will result in city’s museification and its transformation into a museified or so-called Venetian city. In this case, the city loses its function for its permanent residents and turns into a museum. The feeling of being part of a holiday culture will deteriorate the local host’s lifestyle, quality of life, and life satisfaction in the long-term period.