Can Club 18-30's Holidays be Classed as Sex Tourism?
Author: Hannah McGee
3 Commentries
When talking about sex tourism it cannot be limited to just being prostitutes, it can be interpreted into a lot of terms, blurring the lines. So young people and their behaviour towards holidays it has progressed from just stag and hen parties, which has lead to destinations being able to market themselves as party destinations. (Diken and Laustsen , 2004). club 18-30's holidays are holidays that have a reputation of young tourists visiting destinations for a holiday full of sun, sea, sand, alcohol and sex. It is a known fact that these destinations have all of these as pull factors. It is almost seen as a rite of passage to go on a 'crazy' holiday with friends, as it is something that all young people are meant to experience.
When young people go on holiday they enter a luminal state, which gives them the chance to express themselves in ways that they would normally suppress when at home. Because the tourist is travelling from a place that they know very well they are able to find the freedom and excited by the fact that no one knows who they are. As it gives them the chance to be someone slightly different than the person that they are at home. It makes people act more spontaneously, when talking about sexual behaviour the choices that young tourist make depending on the other person, frequency and attitude towards sex all relate back to the luminal nature of young tourist tourism. This is the case more so for western tourist it gives them the chance to reveal themselves from the social, gender and racial restraints. It gives them the ability to be someone different than their normal self, liberating themselves from their home suppressions. When people are on holiday there is certain level of behaviour that is more tolerated than if they were at home, this could relate to the place in which the tourist falls within the social order or even about their body image, with people who are more conscious becoming less worried and become the person they want to be at home. (Bauer. and McKercher. 2003).
When talking about young people and them wanting to have sexual relations whist on holiday, is not always the case. It is a wide assumption that young tourist all want this from their holidays. When really all they really want is to have a good time with their friends and create memories that will last a lifetime. Girls especially don't want people to hear them, or for their friends to walk in, as there is a lack of privacy, if they were to bring someone back. Also for girls sex is not always just about the physical aspect, they become emotional and attached, which is another reason to why some young tourist don't feel the need to have sexual relation whilst on holiday. From the quotes from the girls within Clift and Carter (2000) they all were seeking attention and wanted affection from someone, it also stemmed from them having alcohol. As the girls go on to say if they did have sex whilst on holiday it made them feel wanted and their feeling towards their sexual partner grew. Thought this is not the case for all of the girls some went on to say that they do what they want on holiday as they can get away with it, which goes back to what Bauer and McKercher (2003) the luminal state, where tourist do things that are out of the norm for them and behave differently than they do whilst at home.
Over all when talking about club 18-30's it is clear that it can be classed as sex tourism as young people travel believing that they are going to have some kind of sexual adventure, this could be from the media influences or even their friends influences. Though this is a generalisation as some of the research showed that not all young tourists go abroad with the thought of having sexual relations with another, but it also states that even though this is that case some of the tourists are having some kind of sexual relation on their holiday. Which I think blurs the lines to the term of sex tourism from what is firstly thought of. As from Clift and Carter (2000) and their interviews with the different girls, they express their feelings and how sexual intercourse makes them feel. And it shows that men aren't as bothered as women. This means that the term sex tourism can be interpreted into all sorts of meaning depending on the person and the context that it is used in. it is not a one dimensional term and cannot be easily categorised.
Bibliography
Bauer, T. G. and McKercher, B. (2003). Sex and tourism: journeys of romance, love, and lust. London: Haworth Hospitality Press.
Clift, S. and Carter, S. (2000). Tourism and sex : Culture, commerce and coercion. 4th ed. London: Pinter Publishers.
Diken, B. and Laustsen, C. B. (2004). Sea, sun, sex and the discontents of pleasure. Tourist Studies, 4, 99.
When young people go on holiday they enter a luminal state, which gives them the chance to express themselves in ways that they would normally suppress when at home. Because the tourist is travelling from a place that they know very well they are able to find the freedom and excited by the fact that no one knows who they are. As it gives them the chance to be someone slightly different than the person that they are at home. It makes people act more spontaneously, when talking about sexual behaviour the choices that young tourist make depending on the other person, frequency and attitude towards sex all relate back to the luminal nature of young tourist tourism. This is the case more so for western tourist it gives them the chance to reveal themselves from the social, gender and racial restraints. It gives them the ability to be someone different than their normal self, liberating themselves from their home suppressions. When people are on holiday there is certain level of behaviour that is more tolerated than if they were at home, this could relate to the place in which the tourist falls within the social order or even about their body image, with people who are more conscious becoming less worried and become the person they want to be at home. (Bauer. and McKercher. 2003).
When talking about young people and them wanting to have sexual relations whist on holiday, is not always the case. It is a wide assumption that young tourist all want this from their holidays. When really all they really want is to have a good time with their friends and create memories that will last a lifetime. Girls especially don't want people to hear them, or for their friends to walk in, as there is a lack of privacy, if they were to bring someone back. Also for girls sex is not always just about the physical aspect, they become emotional and attached, which is another reason to why some young tourist don't feel the need to have sexual relation whilst on holiday. From the quotes from the girls within Clift and Carter (2000) they all were seeking attention and wanted affection from someone, it also stemmed from them having alcohol. As the girls go on to say if they did have sex whilst on holiday it made them feel wanted and their feeling towards their sexual partner grew. Thought this is not the case for all of the girls some went on to say that they do what they want on holiday as they can get away with it, which goes back to what Bauer and McKercher (2003) the luminal state, where tourist do things that are out of the norm for them and behave differently than they do whilst at home.
Over all when talking about club 18-30's it is clear that it can be classed as sex tourism as young people travel believing that they are going to have some kind of sexual adventure, this could be from the media influences or even their friends influences. Though this is a generalisation as some of the research showed that not all young tourists go abroad with the thought of having sexual relations with another, but it also states that even though this is that case some of the tourists are having some kind of sexual relation on their holiday. Which I think blurs the lines to the term of sex tourism from what is firstly thought of. As from Clift and Carter (2000) and their interviews with the different girls, they express their feelings and how sexual intercourse makes them feel. And it shows that men aren't as bothered as women. This means that the term sex tourism can be interpreted into all sorts of meaning depending on the person and the context that it is used in. it is not a one dimensional term and cannot be easily categorised.
Bibliography
Bauer, T. G. and McKercher, B. (2003). Sex and tourism: journeys of romance, love, and lust. London: Haworth Hospitality Press.
Clift, S. and Carter, S. (2000). Tourism and sex : Culture, commerce and coercion. 4th ed. London: Pinter Publishers.
Diken, B. and Laustsen, C. B. (2004). Sea, sun, sex and the discontents of pleasure. Tourist Studies, 4, 99.