From 27 through 30 March 2007, the State Hermitage held its first seminar on The Museum and Issues of Cultural Tourism. The program of the event was especially planned for representatives of tour, as well as for people working in the sphere of culture. Among those companies which participated actively in the seminar work were Amparus, Ambassador, Baltic Travel, Vodokhod, Krugozor and Exeter.

The four-day course involved all buildings of the State Hermitage presently open to visitors: the main buildings of the State Hermitage, the General Staff, the Winter Palace of Peter the Great, the Menshikov Palace, the Restoration and Storage Center at Staraya Derevnya and the Museum of Porcelain. The seminar work was directed by leaders of the museum's departments and subdivisions.

Attention was devoted principally to the question of attracting tourists both to traditional and new exhibition space. A separate accent was placed on new possibilities for carrying out special programs.

The last day of the seminar was devoted to theoretical aspects of work with visitors. Questions of legal and organizational interrelationships with partners were examined, as well as the interrelationships between the museum and other organizations, including tour operators. The lectures were delivered by leading specialists in each area.

The participants in the seminar were given an informational package as well as a questionnaire whose results will be taken into account when improving work in any given area. . At the final session, the guests were offered a chance to ask any questions that interested them, to discuss business proposals and to exchange impressions. At the end of the seminar the participants received certificates made out in their names. The next regular seminar of this kind will be held in November 1007. The coordinator is the Sector of Tourism and Special Programs.

In the Pavilion hall

In the Menshikov Palace

Getting to know the Menshikov Palace

Empire style in the General Staff Building

At the lecture and conversation