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280px|thumb|Intourist buses ([[Ikarus 250) at the Palace Square, Leningrad, 1980]]

Intourist (, a contraction of , "foreign tourist" also Goskomturist ()) was a Soviet then Russian tour operator, headquartered in Moscow. It was founded on April 12, 1929, and served as the primary travel agency for foreign tourists in the Soviet Union. The former GRU military spy Viktor Suvorov stated that Intourist was run by the KGB. It was privatized in 1992

In 1933 Aron Sheinman started work for Intourist in London and filled the post of Director from 1937 to 1939. When he was dismissed he refused to return to Moscow, and gained British citizenship later that year.

thumb|Poster advertising tourism to [[Moscow in the Soviet Union, Intourist, 1930]]

In the late Stalin era it was reported that "the number of foreigners visiting the Soviet Union dropped to nearly zero" as state officials actively discouraged travellers.

In 1953, after the death of Stalin, the decree banning Soviet citizens from marriage to a foreigner was abolished.

After privatisation

In 1990, Intourist (as the exclusive travel agency in the Soviet Union) By early 1992, "tourists could get a guided tour of the KGB headquarters for $35". along with many other state-owned businesses during Boris Yeltsin's tenure. In 1992, Intourist became the first Russian company to acquire an American company when it acquired a 75% interest in Rahim Tours of Florida.

In 2011, British tour operator Thomas Cook Group plc acquired a 50.1% interest in Intourist for $45 million. The company sought to gain access to Russian travelers going abroad. Intourist had handled 600,000 passengers in 2009.

On November 15, 2019, Neşet Koçkar, chairman of Turkish tour operator Anex Tours, acquired Intourist from Thomas Cook's liquidators.

Competition

Although the Soviet Union was not enamored of competition, Intourist did have competition The New York Times described this competition as "tiptoed onto Intourist's turf."

Afterlife

Despite the name Intourist having a strong link to service "as friendly as wardens at the state pen",

Publications

  • Visit Crimea Moscow: Intourist, 1930

See also

  • Tourism in Russia
  • Torgsin
  • Beryozka

References

  • Intourist