fter the Second World War, tourism gained tremendous global momentum. Foreign visitors were recorded in Yugoslavia in the first years after the war, even though the tourism infrastructure was still quite poor at that time. From the end of the 1950s onwards, spas, seaside resorts and mountain huts hosted an increasing number of international tourists. They entered Yugoslavia with a visa mainly through Slovenia. Visitors, mostly attracted by the unspoiled nature, came from Germany, Italy, Austria, France, the USA, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium and elsewhere. In 1963, Yugoslavia attended the United Nations Conference on International Travel and Tourism in Rome, which was a starting point for the relaxation of the visa policy.
Naturism, which dates back to the 19th century in Western Europe, was a distinctive feature of Yugoslav tourist offers. Many seaside resorts along the eastern Adriatic coast offered opportunities to practice the so-called Freikörperkultur, free body culture. In 1961, the first nudist camp was set up on the initiative of the Munich Naturist Society in the Istrian village of Koversada, which could accommodate 5000 people.
The liberalisation of border crossings increased the number of foreign tourists. In parallel, it stimulated opportunities not only for Yugoslav economic growth and new jobs for locals, but also for intercultural contacts.
During the summer months, motorcades from various European countries filled the regional roads to and from the sea, as shown in this photo taken on the road between Planina and Postojna in 1965. Growing international tourism prompted thoughts of creating a highway network.
In 1972, the 13th International Naturist Federation Congress took place in Koversada, attracting over 200 foreign journalists. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Yugoslavia was one of the biggest nudist destinations in the world.
