Commercial sex, a hot summer flirt, or the true love?!
Author: Elisabeth Falasz
3 Commentries
The choice of a destination which a tourist would like to visit depends on his or her motivations. Generally considered this means, there are forces out of any nature, which imply a particular behaviour as they are either acting on or within a person. With time passing by, and a tourism industry establishing itself globally, the suppliers which mostly appear as tour operators, experienced the phenomenon of an \'elbow society\' over years. Here it was important to not get lost between the mass of suppliers, and therefore to distinguish oneself by offering products involving emotional benefits for the customers. The travellers nowadays are sensitive and thus focus upon the extraordinary something when picking their holiday destination.
Due to globalisation, the increase of a special type of holiday making was stimulated: sex tourism. It appears everywhere in the world, although it is much more noticeable in developing than developed countries, as these are the places where interactions related to sex tourism mainly occur. Although a strong relation between tourism and sex has been outlined, it must be noticed that either of them has no dependence on the other, and therefore could also exist only by itself. However, there are reasons why this sector was able to emerge, and some of those can be found among the motivations. It is argued that the motivations of travellers who are looking for sex related activities during their journeys, are similar to those of normal tourists. Within this particular context though, the driving force is the engagement into sexual relationships. The travellers who perform this type of holiday making, are so-called sex tourists. From a wider perspective, these tourists look for sexual engagement with the local population of the country they traveled to. However, I assume that such a generalisation is not appropriate within a controversial topic like this.
There is a variety of reasons why tourists become part of the sex tourism industry. In the first instance, a direct association is evident with erotic motives. Observations have shown a significantly higher interest of men than women in sex holidays. Moreover, the interest in trips of erotic nature gets higher as the people get older. Within this motivation though, there are different sorts of experiences the individual sex tourist aims at. High numbers of them have the ambition to engage in short sexual encounters for a night or a few days. This is due to the facts, that the engagement is either cheaper and easier to obtain in the foreign country, the coitus is also offered without protection through condoms, or with girls who have not menstruated yet. Furthermore, they use the legal situation abroad, as there prostitution is either allowed or at least endowed due to high generated income for the country. Also sex tourists are attracted by the different looking or foreign stereotypes. If the sex tourists live in marriage or relationships, they explain their sexual interaction on holidays with the satisfaction of desires which are not fulfilled through their actual partners. The reasons why sex workers, and in this particular case prostitutes, offer themselves for sexual services vary as well. However, mostly it seems as an easy or sometimes even as the only way to earn money and support their families. Others consider it as an opportunity to find a wealthy spouse and start a better life away from oppression and unemployment. However, there is more to the equation.
Maybe it also happened to you? Maybe you have been on holiday, enjoying the sun with a cooled drink, and then it happened: a good-looking citizen passed by, presenting the well-formed and sun-tanned body, smiling to you in a way, which made you forget everything around you? Maybe you started talking and there was chemistry between you two. And maybe a kiss was not all that followed later on...
Well, this is sex tourism as well. Therefore it is not correct to only relate it with organised trips abroad which have the primary purpose to engage in commercial sexual with residents at the destination. Sex tourism can also occur without the focus upon sexual interaction. For instance, some sex tourists choose their destination wisely in order to find a long-term relationship. In addition, some sex workers have the same intention. This motivation may be described as (true) love or romances (for life). Moreover, sex tourists can be couples who want to escape from their daily life and and get sexual active for instance on romantic weekend trips.
So, the global presence of sex tourism is obvious but the topic itself needs to be considered with great caution. There is a strong linkage with commercial sex and prostitution. Nonetheless there is also a side to it without red districts and purely negative associations.
Main sources:
Bauer, T. G. & McKercher, B. (2003) Sex and Tourism. Journeys of Romance, Love, and Lust. London: The Haworth Hospitality Press.
Boryszkowski, J. (2011) \'Sex and Eroticism as Tourist Motives\', Journal of Tourism, 12(12): 22-27.
Oppermann, M. (1999) \'Sex Tourism\' Annals of Travel Research, 26 (2): 251-266.
Due to globalisation, the increase of a special type of holiday making was stimulated: sex tourism. It appears everywhere in the world, although it is much more noticeable in developing than developed countries, as these are the places where interactions related to sex tourism mainly occur. Although a strong relation between tourism and sex has been outlined, it must be noticed that either of them has no dependence on the other, and therefore could also exist only by itself. However, there are reasons why this sector was able to emerge, and some of those can be found among the motivations. It is argued that the motivations of travellers who are looking for sex related activities during their journeys, are similar to those of normal tourists. Within this particular context though, the driving force is the engagement into sexual relationships. The travellers who perform this type of holiday making, are so-called sex tourists. From a wider perspective, these tourists look for sexual engagement with the local population of the country they traveled to. However, I assume that such a generalisation is not appropriate within a controversial topic like this.
There is a variety of reasons why tourists become part of the sex tourism industry. In the first instance, a direct association is evident with erotic motives. Observations have shown a significantly higher interest of men than women in sex holidays. Moreover, the interest in trips of erotic nature gets higher as the people get older. Within this motivation though, there are different sorts of experiences the individual sex tourist aims at. High numbers of them have the ambition to engage in short sexual encounters for a night or a few days. This is due to the facts, that the engagement is either cheaper and easier to obtain in the foreign country, the coitus is also offered without protection through condoms, or with girls who have not menstruated yet. Furthermore, they use the legal situation abroad, as there prostitution is either allowed or at least endowed due to high generated income for the country. Also sex tourists are attracted by the different looking or foreign stereotypes. If the sex tourists live in marriage or relationships, they explain their sexual interaction on holidays with the satisfaction of desires which are not fulfilled through their actual partners. The reasons why sex workers, and in this particular case prostitutes, offer themselves for sexual services vary as well. However, mostly it seems as an easy or sometimes even as the only way to earn money and support their families. Others consider it as an opportunity to find a wealthy spouse and start a better life away from oppression and unemployment. However, there is more to the equation.
Maybe it also happened to you? Maybe you have been on holiday, enjoying the sun with a cooled drink, and then it happened: a good-looking citizen passed by, presenting the well-formed and sun-tanned body, smiling to you in a way, which made you forget everything around you? Maybe you started talking and there was chemistry between you two. And maybe a kiss was not all that followed later on...
Well, this is sex tourism as well. Therefore it is not correct to only relate it with organised trips abroad which have the primary purpose to engage in commercial sexual with residents at the destination. Sex tourism can also occur without the focus upon sexual interaction. For instance, some sex tourists choose their destination wisely in order to find a long-term relationship. In addition, some sex workers have the same intention. This motivation may be described as (true) love or romances (for life). Moreover, sex tourists can be couples who want to escape from their daily life and and get sexual active for instance on romantic weekend trips.
So, the global presence of sex tourism is obvious but the topic itself needs to be considered with great caution. There is a strong linkage with commercial sex and prostitution. Nonetheless there is also a side to it without red districts and purely negative associations.
Main sources:
Bauer, T. G. & McKercher, B. (2003) Sex and Tourism. Journeys of Romance, Love, and Lust. London: The Haworth Hospitality Press.
Boryszkowski, J. (2011) \'Sex and Eroticism as Tourist Motives\', Journal of Tourism, 12(12): 22-27.
Oppermann, M. (1999) \'Sex Tourism\' Annals of Travel Research, 26 (2): 251-266.