On the basis of archival documents the article reconstructs organizational foundations and specifics of the youth outbound tourism in the USSR in the initial period of the activity of the Bureau of international youth tourism called «Sputnik». The conclusion about the expansion of outbound tourism geography and the expansion of tourist international links adjoins the conclusion about the focus of tourist flows, first of all, on the countries of the Soviet block. It is stated that together with the rapid growth of the number of the Soviet young tourists travelling abroad the amount of outbound tourism was lagging behind the amount of entrance tourism. The strategy of direct exchange without currency payments was implemented together with the measures aimed at increasing the amount of commercial tourism, especially with the countries of the West.

international tourism, youth, Komsomol, «Sputnik», tourist exchange