When a westerner wanted to plan and buy a trip to the Soviet Union in the 1960s, she didn’t go to a dark and dusty office with angry lady asking too many questions. Tourism to Leningrad, Moscow and especially the Black Sea coast was increasing and even getting fashionable in the latter part of the 20th century, and package trips were sold in fancy premises. Here is the headquarters of the Finnish travel agency Lomamatkat (“Holiday Travels”), which was specialized in Soviet and Eastern European holidays, depicted in the advertisement of Ajan Kuvat (“Images of our Time”) magazine. Stylish modern woman is planning her trip with three snappy clerks ready to serve her. Will it be Crimea, or maybe Kiev?
The Soviet travel agency Intourist was established in 1929. The main task was to promote the Soviet Union to foreigners, and at the same time control and surveil the visitors. During the 1930s Intourist organized a huge advertisement campaign in the United States to encourage western tourism in the Soviet Union. Moscow was depicted as the heart of the country, an age-old and hypermodern at the same time, as the poster’s combination of Kremlin towers, busy traffic and the brand new House of government at the background indicate.
Soviet Tourist 