Activity of the Abakan agency of “Intourist” in Khakassia and in southern Krasnoyarsk krai (1970-1990-ies): historical aspect

The article describes the history of formation and development of international tourism in Khakassia and in southern Krasnoyarsk Krai in the Soviet period. «Intourist» played signifi- cant role in the development of foreign tourism in Khakassia. The author analyzes the popu- lar routes and direction of inbound and outbound tourism, improvement of foreign visitors service. Special attention is paid to the improvement of professional skills and cultural level of workers, serving foreign tourists, as well as the introduction of new forms of excursion activity in «Intourist». Active work of the regional branch of the «Intourist» in the 1980s re- sulted in establishing Abakan as one of the six leading tourism centers of Siberia and the Far East, receiving foreign tourists. It was defined that the main forms of international tourism, organized by department of «Intourist» in Abakan, were overseas tours for the inhabitants of Khakassia, the reception of foreign guests in the region, the interchange of the groups with the socialist countries, and specialized collective trips. Most of these trips were organized as a result of the exchange of tourist group without currency payments.