THE ROLE OF TOURISM AS AN INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ACTOR IN STRENGTHENING ECONOMIC NATIONALISM AND THE DISINTEGRATION OF YUGOSLAVIA

Abstract

Background. In Yugoslavia, which functioned as a distinctive frontier of the Cold War, tourism and the “open-door” policy became the practical embodiment of the country’s foreign policy doctrine of non-alignment. Inflows of foreign currency from Western tourism exacerbated structural disparities in the country's development. The impact of tourism on the rise of economic nationalism in Yugoslavia constitutes an important scholarly issue, the exploration of which enables the conceptualization of tourism’s role as a transnational force in the processes of political emancipation Adriatic republics. Methods. The study applies core methods of international political science. A systems approach allowed tourism to be understood as a factor of international interaction capable of influencing the stability of the Yugoslav state. The historical-descriptive method facilitated the reconstruction of Yugoslavia’s tourism policy within its geopolitical context, while structural-functional analysis helped identify the role of tourism as the economic foundation for the political emancipation of Slovenia and Croatia. Results. Yugoslavia was an inherently unstable political construct, burdened by interethnic tensions and the divergent civilizational orientations of its republics. Tourism served as a vital instrument in shaping a supranational Yugoslav identity and functioned as a key channel of engagement with the West. The influx of Western tourists ensured a steady flow of foreign currency, which intensified asymmetries in inter-republican relations. Economic growth in the coastal regions – particularly in Croatia and Slovenia – fostered a pro-Western orientation and centrifugal tendencies, which gained political expression during the “Croatian Spring” of 1971. Conclusions. Under the conditions of systemic competition between superpowers, the political instability of Yugoslavia – driven by the Croatian protest movement – gained international significance, being perceived as a factor capable of influencing the balance of power within the bipolar system. Interethnic disputes, radical decentralization, and the increasing assertion of political subjectness by the republics became a matter of concern for U.S. diplomatic and intelligence bodies, who viewed these trends as a potential destabilizing force threatening the Yugoslav model of non-alignment and facilitating the expansion of Soviet naval presence in the Mediterranean. In this configuration, tourism emerged not only as a significant economic resource but also as a transnational actor capable of initiating political dynamics, including the rise of economic nationalism, ethno-national mobilization, and a rethinking of sovereignty.