What Intourist does

Intourist is a Russian inbound tour operator headquartered in Moscow at Shabolovka street 31G, founded on April 12, 1929 as the Soviet Union's first travel company dedicated to attracting foreign tourists. The company operates as a one-stop travel provider for foreign visitors to Russia, assembling comprehensive tour packages that bundle accommodation, ground transfers, inter-city transportation, professional multilingual guides, excursions, and optional add-on experiences such as helicopter flights, hot air balloon rides, and Bolshoi Theatre tours. Standard itineraries range from 3 to 15 days and cover destinations across Russia including Moscow, Saint Petersburg, the Golden Ring, Kazan, Sochi, Lake Baikal, Kamchatka, Arkhangelsk, Karelia, the Kaliningrad region, and Trans-Siberian routes.

The company is registered in the Federal Registry of Tour Operators and licensed by the Federal Tourism Agency under the Ministry of Economic Development, which authorizes it to issue the visa support letters required for foreign nationals entering Russia. Its product surface extends beyond tours to include visa support, an eSIM connectivity service for inbound travelers through a partnership with 1-esim.com, conference and group tour packages, and an online agent portal (ntk.intourist.com) that serves its B2B distribution network. The technology layer is a conventional online booking and itinerary platform rather than an AI-native system.

Intourist runs a dual-channel go-to-market: a B2B channel targeting international tour operators and travel agents from more than 70 countries through participation in over 15 tourism exhibitions annually, familiarization trips, and the dedicated agent portal; and a direct-to-consumer channel via intourist.com for individual travelers. Revenue is generated primarily from bundled tour package sales plus individual ancillary services. The company maintains more than 6,000 annual supplier agreements with hotels, transport operators, museums, and theatres, and reports serving more than 200,000 foreign clients annually. Recent strategic activity has focused on rebuilding source-market diversification through partnerships in China (Beijing tourism distribution), Southeast Asia (Vietravel for Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia), and the Middle East (Jordanian operator fam-trips), as well as airport relationships at Sheremetyevo and Pulkovo.

Name

Intourist

Legal name

Touroperator Intourist

Website

https://intourist.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Intourist is a Moscow-based inbound tour operator founded in 1929 that provides bundled tour packages, accommodation, transportation, multilingual guides, and visa support to foreign tourists visiting Russia, serving more than 200,000 clients annually from over 70 countries through B2B travel agent partnerships and direct bookings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Inbound Tour Operations

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520), Travel Agencies (56151)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Concierge & Luxury Personal Itinerary Design (THAKAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Group & Small-Group Custom Itinerary Planning (THAKAOAF), Destination-Specific Custom Itinerary Specialists (THAKAOAN), Trip Planning & Itinerary Design (HSACAKAA)

Keywords

• Inbound tour operations
• Guided tour packages
• Visa support services
• Travel accommodation booking
• Multilingual tour services

Headquarters

HQ city

Moscow

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tour Package Sales: Intourist generates revenue through selling comprehensive tour packages to foreign tourists visiting Russia, including accommodation, transfers, transportation, guides, excursions, and activities.
2. Individual Services: Revenue from individual services such as visa support letters, eSIM packages, and add-on experiences.
3. Group Package Tours: Organized group tours with comprehensive services for multiple travelers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Intourist is a Russian inbound tour operator that sells bundled and customizable multi-day tour itineraries covering Russian destinations such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Golden Ring, Kazan, Sochi, Lake Baikal, and Kamchatka. Each package includes accommodation, transfers, transportation, professional multilingual guides, and excursions, with add-on experiences and ancillary services such as visa support letters, train and air ticketing, conference organization, and an eSIM connectivity service for foreign travelers.

Product overview

Intourist is a Russian inbound tour operator founded in 1929, offering a comprehensive portfolio of travel services focused on foreign tourists visiting Russia. The core product consists of pre-packaged and customizable tour itineraries (ranging from 3 to 15 days) covering destinations across Russia including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Golden Ring cities, Kazan, Sochi, Lake Baikal, Kamchatka, and others. The tour packages are complemented by add-on 'Special Tour Toppings' experiences (helicopter flights, hot air balloon rides, Bolshoi Theatre tours, matryoshka painting workshops). Additional services include accommodation booking, transfers, train/air tickets, multilingual guides, conference packages, group tours, visa support letters, and eSIM services for travelers. The company maintains over 6000 supplier agreements annually and serves clients from more than 70 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tour Packages (Itineraries) Pre-packaged and customizable multi-day tour itineraries (3 to 15 days) covering destinations across Russia including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Golden Ring, Kazan, Sochi, Lake Baikal, Kamchatka, Trans-Siberian routes, and Arctic destinations, with themes such as cultural, adventure, culinary, literary, and space exploration. Each package includes accommodation, transfers, transportation, multilingual guides, and excursions.
• Group Package Tours Organized group tour packages with comprehensive services for multiple travelers traveling together, including accommodation, transfers, transportation, guides, and excursions tailored to group logistics.
• Conference Packages Conference and business event organization services in Russia including venue selection, logistics, accommodation, and related support for corporate and association clients.
• Accommodation Booking Hotel accommodation services in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and other cities across the Russian Federation, sourced through Intourist's agreements with over 6,000 local suppliers annually.
• Transfers and Transportation Ground transportation services including airport and train station transfers, inter-city transport, and other tourist transportation arranged through partner transport companies across Russia.
• Train and Air Tickets Booking services for train and air tickets within Russia and internationally, including Trans-Siberian railway itineraries and domestic Russian flights.
• Professional Multilingual Guides and Interpreters Licensed professional guides and interpreters speaking multiple languages for tours and business services across Russian destinations.
• Visa Support Letters Visa invitation letter service for foreign nationals visiting Russia, issued by Intourist as a licensed tour operator authorized by the Federal Tourism Agency of the Ministry of Economic Development.
• Intourist eSIM Digital SIM card service (eSIM) for international travelers visiting Russia, offering remote activation, multiple profile storage, and network switching capabilities, distributed in partnership with 1-esim.com.
• Intourist Agent Portal (Internet Office) Dedicated online portal (ntk.intourist.com) for travel agents and partner tour operators to access Intourist's tour products, manage bookings, and access exclusive agent resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves over 200,000 foreign clients annually from more than 70 countries
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VietravelcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Strategic cooperation agreement signed in Kazan as part of the Russia-ASEAN Business Forum. The memorandum aims to strengthen strategic partnership in promoting Vietnam as a key tourist destination for Russian travelers, developing organized tourist flows from Russia to Laos and Cambodia, and promoting Russian tourism products in the Indochina region. Signed by Deputy General Director Alexander Musikhin for Intourist and Vietravel's management.
• Cosmos Hotel GroupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Partner in hosting familiarization trips for international tour operators, providing hotel facilities for fam-trip participants visiting Moscow.
• Agency for Strategic InitiativescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Collaboration in the international project 'Znatoк Rossii' (Russia Expert) aimed at promoting tourism potential of Russian regions in international markets. The initiative involves creating a digital platform with educational materials about Russian regions in foreign languages.
• RossotrudnichestvocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partner in 'Znatoк Rossii' project implementing training programs for Russian diplomatic missions abroad on tourism diplomacy to strengthen international tourism cooperation.
• Moscow State University (MSU)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Academic partner in the 'Znatoк Rossii' project contributing to educational content development for diplomatic missions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Insight Vacations: Premium guided tour operator under The Travel Corporation, offering escorted multi-day itineraries globally. Comparable to Intourist's premium group packages and guided touring products with strong content-and-narration focus.
• TUI Group: Largest European tour operator with global destination portfolio. While TUI has scaled back Russia offerings, it is a direct comparable as a vertically integrated tour operator and travel wholesaler, serving millions of tourists annually across destination markets.

Direct peers

• Intrepid Travel: Specialist tour operator offering small-group and customized itineraries across 100+ countries. Comparable to Intourist in its packaged and customizable tour product model, multilingual guide network, and B2B2C distribution through travel agents.
• G Adventures: Small-group adventure tour operator with destination specialists and strong agent network. Closely comparable to Intourist's group tour packages, multi-day itinerary model, and B2B distribution emphasis through travel agents.
• Lindblad Expeditions: Specialty expedition operator with multi-day packaged itineraries and strong destination content. Comparable in itinerary-led product structure and bundled-experience model (cruises, excursions, transfers, guides) that Intourist uses for its river cruises and Trans-Siberian tours.
• Abercrombie & Kent: Luxury tour operator offering bespoke high-end itineraries and concierge-style services globally. Comparable to Intourist's premium tour toppings (helicopter, hot air balloon, Bolshoi access) and concierge positioning for VIP and family travelers.
• Cox & Kings: Heritage tour operator with deep destination expertise and government-licensed tour operation in multiple countries. Comparable to Intourist as a long-established, regulated tour operator combining FIT, group, and custom travel products.
• Go Russia: Russia-focused inbound tour operator offering custom and group tours to Russian destinations. The most direct competitive peer—serves foreign tourists in Russia with similar product categories, multilingual guides, and visa support services.
• APT Travel Group: Multi-day tour operator with packaged itineraries, river cruises, and rail journeys. Comparable to Intourist's Trans-Siberian and Imperial Train products, with bundled accommodation, transfers, and guided sightseeing.
• Express to Russia: Inbound tour operator specializing in Russia travel for English-speaking tourists. Direct competitor with overlapping product (custom itineraries, visa support, guided tours) and similar inbound-only business model focused on Russia.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Intourist.official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Intourist