Touring Beyond the Nation: A Transnational Approach to European Tourism History

When tourists travel, they often seek the exotic. The farther they venture, the more unique the cultures they gaze upon, the greater the prestige accrued; cross-cultural contact is commonplace. Yet despite the obviously transnational character of the tourist experience, national borders define existing studies of tourism. Spanish, French, or German tourism is treated almost in isolation and there are only hints of a larger transnational impetus behind the creation of national tourism products. This volume tells a different story. Although modern tourism first evolved in Europe changes were never confined to national borders. The Grand Tour, the birthplace of modern tourism, was consummately transnational in both its execution and its influence. Although seaside resorts originated in Britain, the aesthetic and scientific ideas that made beaches desirable emerged through conversation among Dutch painters, English travellers, and both British and Continental scientists and philosophers. When travel was finally available to the masses, Irish tourism advocates looked to England, Continental Europe, and America for ideas. The Nazi leisure organization, Strength through Joy (KdF), was based on an earlier Italian model, the Dopolavoro. World's Fair promoters raided previous fairs in other countries for ideas. European-wide demand and taste helped shape nudist practice in France and beyond. At every turn, practices and products developed because tourism lent itself to trans-national discourse. The contributors examine a wide range of topics that together make a powerful argument for the adoption of a new transnational model for understanding modern tourism. An essential addition to the library of academics studying the history of tourism, popular culture and leisure in Europe, the book will also provide interest to scholars of transnational topics, including Europeanization and globalization.

Table of Contents:
Contents: The necessity of touring beyond the nation: an introduction, Eric G.E. Zuelow; Part I Transnational Spaces: From Mountains to World’s Fairs: Seaside resorts and international tourism, John K. Walton; The 'naked city' of Cap d'Agde: European nudism and tourism in postwar France, Stephen L. Harp; From Alpine tourism to the 'alpinization' of tourism, Laurent Tissot; 'Come to the fair': transgressing boundaries in World's Fairs tourism, Angela Schwarz. Part II Selling the National in a Transnational Context: From 'Paris of the East' to 'Queen of the Danube': international models in the promotion of Budapest tourism, 1885-1940, Alexander Vari; A place like any other?: publicity, hotels and the search for a French path to tourism, Patrick Young; Made in Ireland?: Irish tourism in an international context, Eric G.E. Zuelow. Part III The Politics of Transnational Tourism: Building tourism in one country?: the Sovietization of vacationing, 1917-41, Christian Noack; 'Tourism and autarky are conceptually incompatible': international tourism conferences in the Third Reich, Kristin Semmens; The Cold War, mass tourism and the drive to meet world standards at East Berlin's TV Tower information center, Michelle Standley; Index.

About the Author :
Eric G.E. Zuelow, Department of History, University of New England, USA

Review :
'The chapters in this volume are well-written, well-structured and solidly researched, consistently interesting, and richly textured, particularly regarding the paradox of defining the nation while addressing transnational discussions.' Shelley Baranowski, University of Akron, USA 'Different approaches co-exist in the book without compromising the coherence of the final result. In fact, the novelties of each contribution are conspicuous and relevant, and will certainly contribute to further research along the same or parallel lines.' Economic History Review '... an important volume that productively engages the nation-centric analyses that have often characterized histories of tourism... [It] sets a high bar for the study of European tourism history by identifying the transnational as a critical discursive context, thereby opening up inspired possibilities for future scholarship working across disciplinary boundaries, theoretical frameworks and historical specificities, in Europe and beyond.' Journal of Tourism History '... the essays make very valuable individual contributions to our understanding of the history of tourism ...' American Historical Review