Cruise ship tourism in Dubrovnik is a bone of contention today; there are pros and cons to be weighed on both sides of the argument. But it certainly isn’t a new phenomenon. This Pathe News travel report from 1959 highlights the joys of cruising in the Mediterranean. In fact the cruise ship featured is the SS Arcadia built in 1953 and operated by the British company P&O, and the cruise ship carrying the same name “MV Arcadia” is still in operation today, and still run by P&O and has visited Dubrovnik.

A few points struck us as we watched this video, firstly there are cars driving down the Stradun and parking in the Old City harbour, and secondly the commentary “Feel the pulse of the two different ways of life, that of the European and that of the Slav.” Quite clearly this video was made long before the European Union, but surely Croatia or Yugoslavia at that time, has always been part of the European continent.

Check out Dubrovnik from 1959 from Pathe News