"Tourism, Identity and Liberalization in Socialist Yugoslavia"

Soon after World War II tourism became one of the key elements of social policy in socialist Yugoslavia and an element of the standard of living. In the 1960s, in the period of economic reforms and political liberalization, the authorities decided to put an emphasis on foreign tourists whose numbers grew rapidly. Open border policy had a clear role in the development of Yugoslav economy, as well as in the shaping of the positive image of Yugoslavia abroad. Inside the country tourism enhanced the process of modernization, especially along the Adriatic coast, often underlining the split between front and back regions of Yugoslavia. In Croatia, the republic most attractive to foreigners, tourism facilitated economic emancipation and demands for decentralization of the federation. Tourism can thus be perceived in a complex context of social, economic, political and cultural relations inside the Yugoslav federation.