This research examined the problems of the tourism sector of the economy, that was described from the perspective of potential informatization. The features of the tourism industry functioning were reflected, some proposals were put forward regarding the design and development of an automated management system, and the geographical affiliation of the research areas were indicated. The tourist and recreational complex was proposed to understand as a separate component of the tourism industry, and was accordingly accepted as the object for the projected automated system. The authors had refined the formulation of the term "tourist and recreational complex" as a complex socio-economic system based on the problems and possibilities of it’s informatization. Sufficient attention was paid to the identification of the characteristic features of the tourist and recreational complex, to the designation and addition of its functions, to the possibilities and difficulties of formalization. Some features and problems of the designing an automated control system were described in this research, there were also suggests about its conceptual structure, and outlines the for further research. Special attention was paid to the developing of the automated system for managing the tourist and recreational complex, based on the requests, needs and capabilities of its three main groups of users: regional (district) management, business and guests (tourists, recreants).