Adventure tourism after Stalin

Unlike in the West, Soviet commercial adventure tourism remained underdeveloped in comparison to its amateur sibling. The Central Council for Tourism and Excursions (CCTE), a descendant of the OPTE, supervised the development of adventure tourism, but in the liberalised social environment, it had to reimagine itself as a mediator between the government that still sought to impose its programme on tourists and the insubordinate outdoor community. Such an arm’s-length stance and, most importantly, its financial sponsorship of tourist clubs, allowed the CCTE to negotiate compromises and attain some leverage over the activities and culture of adventure tourists. Improvement of public health became the main official mission of adventure tourism, although the training of recruits with outdoor skills for the Soviet Army also implicitly remained an important goal in the government’s eyes. Outdoor activists replaced bureaucrats in administering most aspects of Soviet adventure tourism, which spurred its impressive growth.