Today, hundreds of different companies work in the tourism industry. Tour operators and travel agencies offer a variety of services for every taste and budget. You can choose any direction, visit the hottest and coldest countries. But you should plunge into the past and remember how it all began. Surprisingly, the first and oldest Russian travel company began its work in the days of the USSR and continues to this day.
Start of activity
The name of the oldest Russian travel company initially sounded like this: Intourist, a state joint-stock company for foreign tourism in the USSR. However, later it changed several times. Intourist began its activities in the Soviet Union in 1929. This means that in 2019 he will celebrate exactly 90 years from the date of opening.
Since its foundation, during the time of the USSR, the oldest Russian travel company did not have its own material base. In 1993, with the aim of developing tourism, it was merged with the All-Union Joint-Stock Company Hotel. As a result of the merger, the company received transport, a chain of restaurants and hotels. It was a huge breakthrough in development.
Rapid growth
In the 1930s, the material base of Intourist began its active growth. The company had at its disposal more than 20 hotels and about the same number of restaurants, as well as about 300 units of vehicles, for which a separate garage was built in 1934. Now this building is known as the Intourist’s Garage. It is an architectural monument of the Soviet era.
If at the beginning of the 30s the cash flow of Intourist amounted to about 50 million rubles, then by 1940 it doubled and reached almost 100 million. Together with the cash flow, the staff grew. In six years, it has increased by almost 6,000 people. Therefore, the 30s can be considered significant for the oldest Russian travel company.
Reorganization in 1990
By 1990, Intourist had 107 tourism enterprises and more than fifty thousand jobs. In 1990 alone, the company received more than 2 million tourists from different countries, and its revenues amounted to more than 700 million US dollars. In the same 90th year, the company went through a reorganization. Its controlling stake was acquired by Sistema. The oldest Russian travel company has acquired a new name, which abbreviated as VAO Intourist.
In the days of the USSR, the company was the main tour operator, receiving guests from other countries. Thanks to Intourist, many famous personalities visited the Soviet Union, beginning with artists and writers and ending with politicians and public figures.
Present
In 2011, the oldest Russian travel company Intourist, together with the European travel giant Thomas Cook, organized a joint venture. Over the past years, they have introduced modern tourism technologies into the company. Today, Intourist is the sole owner of modern international technologies in Russia. The company also boasts a rich history and its achievements. For example, VAO Intourist is a member of leading international and Russian organizations.
Intourist is not just the oldest Russian travel company, but a whole travel holding. It includes the manager of VAO Intourist, as well as four business divisions: the tour operator NTK Intourist, the hotel business Intourist Hotel Group, the travel agency Intourist Travel Store, and the transfers Intourist Transport Services. Currently, the company has a staff of 4,005 people. The company's revenue varies from year to year, amounting to an average of 500 to 700 million rubles per year, where the share of net profit is measured in several tens of millions of rubles.