ABSTRACT
In Soviet times the State Tourist company, ‘Intourist’, had a monopoly. Its chief activity was organising travel for foreign tourists within the USSR. Although many tourists travelling to Russia still prefer to go on organised tours, there is now a much greater variety of holidays on offer and much more scope for arranging travel yourself. Travel agencies proliferate on the streets of major Russian towns, offering everything from cruises on the Volga to fishing trips to the Kola peninsula. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, foreign travel opportunities for Soviet citizens were very limited, generally restricted to countries within the Soviet sphere of influence. Most Russians holidayed in their own country. Trade Unions issued pute¨vki ‘holiday vouchers’, which entitled their members to holidays in Soviet resorts, such as those on the Black Sea. But now Russians themselves have become enthusiastic travellers, at home and abroad, fuelling the boom in tourism.
