A tale of four cities? The Belgian international expositions between 1885 and 1958 as platforms for urban tourism promotion

Abstract The first international expositions appeal to the imagination and have an almost mythical status, but for most participating countries, they were just a form of good marketing. The prevailing idea in literature is that the expositions were platforms for nation-building undertaken by national governments. What is still lacking, however, is research into the intersection of urban, regional and national identities at these events, and the role of the city in this process. This article, which is part of the special issue Urban Tourism Promotion in Belgium and the Netherlands, addresses this gap by examining the presence of Belgian city pavilions at the expositions in Belgium between 1885 and 1958 through the lens of urban tourism promotion. By analysing the different groups involved in tourism promotion at these events, the article reveals that cities were not merely venues for large events, but also served as platforms for identity promotion through urban tourism promotion.