The mass tourism of millions of Europeans towards the Mediterranean in the post-war era was made possible through the efforts of both private and governmental actors. This article explores how, why, and to what extent these experts promoted ideas of a “South” within Western Europe during the Cold War era. Evaluating different groups of tourism experts – such as tour operators, travel writers, tourism scholars, economists in international organizations, politicians, and journalists – this article identifies several discourses that expressed internal differences within Western Europe via the idea of a European “South” that belonged to Western Europe, but which was considered to be “different” at the same time. The article argues that tourism experts fostered quite contradictory ideas: on the one hand, tourism was a central field to promote the idea of a “Southern difference” and, on the other hand, tourism was used to bridge economic gaps and political conflicts within Western Europe
