Abstract

Created by the Soviet government in 1929, the all-union, joint stock company, Intourist (Foreign Tourist) was created to facilitate tourist travel to a land in transition. It was designed as a modern, full-service travel agency offering inclusive and individual tours to the Soviet Union, while at the same time selling a vision of the Soviet state to foreigners. The USSR was a country of the future, a "Land of Color and Progress" (according to one 1939 Intourist advertisement) and this was especially appealing to Americans during the tumultuous 1930s. This work explores the dynamics behind how Intourist sold the Soviet Union as a travel destination to Americans in the interwar years (specifically 1929-1939). It highlights the political and economic power of tourism using traditional primary source documents in combination with visual and material history items, specifically Intourist ephemera. It also brings to the forefront the intricate and fruitful relationships between the Soviets and American advertisers, the mass media, banks, law firms and major names in the tourism industry. Intourist could not have survived, let alone succeeded, without support. American tourism to the Soviet Union influenced opinion on multiple levels of society and government during the 1930s. Intourist helped the Soviets garner legitimacy on the world stage and reshaped the American public's image of the USSR, thus furthering Soviet policy objectives