Tour Guiding Clinic opened at St Petersburg University

The opening ceremony was held as part of the 3rd St Petersburg International Historical Forum. 

According to Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities at St Petersburg University, the University has long been committed to providing students with real-world, hands-on experience and essential professional skills during their studies. For instance, St Petersburg University was the first higher education institution in Russia to implement the clinical approach to education. As early as the late 19th century, the prominent Russian lawyer Dmitrii Meier established the country’s first legal clinic, which continues to operate at St Petersburg University today. Every year, approximately 3,000 students develop practical skills through St Petersburg University’s educational clinics, undertaking socially significant projects commissioned by organisations and offering free advice to citizens.

The St Petersburg University Tour Guiding Clinic will enable students to connect with employers and gain work experience, which is a key benefit of each of the University’s educational clinics. Additionally, it will offer students the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the University’s three-century history and, importantly, to share this history with residents and visitors of St Petersburg.

Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities at St Petersburg University

"I am confident that every student will discover something new for themselves and have the opportunity to introduce others to the landmarks of St Petersburg University and our beautiful city," said Marina Lavrikova. 

As part of their work at the St Petersburg University Tour Guiding Clinic, students have the opportunity develop and lead their own tours, workshops, quizzes, quests and other activities. For example, the University students have already implemented projects dedicated to the celebration of the 225th birth anniversary of Alexander Pushkin and other significant historical events. Additionally, they have adapted St Petersburg’s first national tourist route, titled "St Petersburg. Peter. From the first stone to the skyscraper", to be an inclusive tourist destination. 

Fedor Veselov, Head of St Petersburg University’s Tour Guiding Clinic and Associate Professor in the Department of Museology at St Petersburg University, stressed that there is an increasing demand in society for the development of tourism projects. "Often, museums need to elevate the level of cultural tourism. We aim for our students to create tourism products that will be appealing to visitors of the city," said Fedor Veselov. 

According to Fedor Veselov, the new clinic will be valuable for the development of tourism in St Petersburg, given the University’s significant intellectual resources, including outstanding historians and tourism specialists. 

As part of the opening ceremony, cooperation agreements were also signed with St Petersburg tour operators: Neva Seasons Tour Operator LLC and Petrotour Service LLC.

The success of any tourist destination relies on well-designed tours, high-quality content, and effective presentation. I am confident that the St Petersburg University Tour Guiding Clinic will help uncover new standout guides who will be in demand in the field of guided tourism.

Elizaveta Mazulova, Commercial Director of Petrotour Service company

Iana Testina, Deputy Head of the Tour Guiding Clinic and Head of the Department of Country Studies and International Tourism at St Petersburg University, emphasised the importance of students learning from real-world cases, to help the University and assist the business community within the tourism and hospitality industry in any way they can. Fruitful cooperation with partners will facilitate the training of highly qualified specialists and provide the industry with professional staff. 

"Currently, 20 percent of Neva Seasons’ employees are graduates or students of St Petersburg University. We are very grateful to the University for the high level of professional training in tourism," said Natalia Khaustova, Deputy Director General for Operations and Strategic Planning at Neva Seasons Tour Operator.