The former

путешествовать за границу

данные, представляемые правительственными ведомствами

Содружество Независимых Государств

департамент стратегического развития туризма

Министерство экономического развития и торговли

составлять

отчеты с пограничных контрольно-пропускных пунктов

зд. наиболее посещаемое место (дестинация)

первый (из перечисленных)

Task 2 Read the text once again and entitle it.

Task 3 Read the text and translate it. For help see the vocabulary notes that follow the text.

The summer travel season is fast approaching and the government is tryiag to tighten its grip on travel industry companies, while foreign partners are doing their best to collect on old debts.

The Physical Culture, Tourism and Sport Ministry is preparing to create an intergovernmental oversight commission for enforcing tourism legislation. Some of the first companies likely to be affected are travel agencies in debt to Transaero airline: Moscow Tour, more than 900, 000 rubles; Eksotour, more than 2 million rubles; and Prestige International Travel Center, 68, 500 rubles.

The commission may also take up the case of the Zeus Travel, one of the country's leading providers of travel services to Cyprus.

The Physical Culture, Tourism and Sport Ministry has refused to renew Zeus' international travel and tourism license. Zeus had continued its operations after expiration of its first license, during the review period for a second license; and the company provided travel services outside the parameters of its license.

As a result of government's firm decision not to renew Zeus' license, the company may be forced to change its well-known name.

Tour agents from Great Britain, Spain and Tunisia have already started to get tough with Russia. The national representatives from Spain and Tunisia have filed official complaints with the Russia government about the country's travel agencies. Tunisia has lodged a complaint against Apeks Travel for not fulfilling its obligations to its partners.

A travel agency in Spain's Catalonia has been contemplating an offer to sell off a debt of about 100, 000 dollars owed it by a Russian partner.

From England, there are threats to compile an international blacklist of companies that have failed to pay for English companies' services. This could cause a number of scandals on the travel market. The names of debtor-companies have been kept confidential until now because their problems had been considered only temporary.

The Moscow Times, February 14, 2000