‘Dwelling at peace’: Europeanization and the marketing of Alpine tourism in post-war Britain

Abstract

The Alps were a prominent feature in post-war British consumer culture and one of the key tourist destinations in the years leading up to the 1975 European Communities membership referendum. Through an analysis of holiday company Thomas Cook’s promotional materials, this article demonstrates how the Alps were represented as a region free from conflict, in which different groups lived in harmony and which offered a healthy, community-based way of life. These images not only offered a sense of an alternative to perceived deficiencies in post-war British society but also offered a sense of the possibilities of being at home in Europe.