[concerndc1tizen]

That's not true. I've seen it firsthand. They built infrastructure that was free for public use.

It is significantly better than privatized tourism, because private tourism is frequently taken over by organized crime who destroy the nature to build hotels. Public service tourism usually doesn't care about profit, but rather about reducing public spending, so it is generally more efficient, has a smaller foot print, is shared, educative, and respectful.

I'm not an expert so I can't give you references, but ask your neighborly LLM:

> The USSR promoted the idea of "democratic tourism" — affordable and accessible to everyone. Unlike Western commercial tourism, Soviet tourism aimed to educate and unite people. The Tourist Union (Туристско-спортивный союз) and other state organizations built networks of tourist bases, campgrounds, hiking routes, and equipment rental centers.