Borderland Day Tourists from the East: Trieste\u27s Transitory Shopping Fair

Flows of people across international boundaries to shop have long been a common phenomenon. The end of the Cold War removed barriers to such flows from Eastern to Western Europe and gave rise to a distinctive strain of borderland shopper-officially a day tourist from Central Europe, but in reality a professional shopper working as an essential part of an international retail distribution system linking supply from the West to consumption in the East. The case of Trieste (Italy) is examined. The city\u27s borderland shoppers became important during the late 1980s and activity peaked in 1993-5 as bus loads of Central European consumers converged daily. The parameters of this unusual and transitory borderland activity are outlined, with particular emphasis on its impact on Trieste\u27s urban fabric