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Female Sex Tourism and the Motivations of Female Sex Tourists in Comparison with Male Sex Tourists

Female Sex Tourism and the Motivations of Female Sex Tourists in Comparison with Male Sex Tourists
Author: Amy Stewart
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This paper has looked at sex tourism comparing the male and female sex tourist. The aim of the paper was to look at how people view female sex tourists in comparison with how they view male sex tourists and why they have certain opinions about both sets of tourists. The reason why this research was conducted was because there is a lot of research on female sex tourists and male sex tourists separately but none that compares the two.

The research for the paper found that female sex tourists are viewed more as 'romantic tourists' than sex tourists due to the way they portray themselves Momsen (1994) in Cole and Morgan (2010, p.55) . There seemed to be a lot of female sex tourists giving their opinions about what they are doing but not a lot of males giving their opinions and further research found that this was because the male sex tourists were not sure if what they were doing was legal as they were visiting brothels and using prostitutes to fulfil their needs. Female sex tourists tend to visit the Caribbean and whilst there they end up in a relationship with a local male, these relationships can be both sexual and emotional with a few women ending up moving to the island and marrying a local man. Although the sex tourists say they are not traveling with the purpose of meeting a male the local people have a very different view Frohlick in Uteng and Cresswell (2008, p.129).

Male sex tourists tend to visit Bangkok and china and take part in the backstreet sex work which is why they are seen in a negative light. There was a study by Atchinson et al (1998) in Elias et al (1996) found that men who participate in sex tourism fall in to the category of being: physically unattractive, socially unattractive, have poor sexual experience therefore sex tourism is seen overall as a way of empowerment for these men, and according to the study these are seen as the push factors for the tourists and the way in which sex is sold to them are the pull factors. The people advertising sex tourism play on the fact that these men are lacking in certain areas in their life and this is how they attract their customers. This is like the supply and demand for sex tourism. The category above brings to light the reasons why people have such a bad stereotypical view of male sex tourists.

The research in to female sex tourists looked at a study by Frohlick in Uteng and Cresswell (2008, p.129) and found that they were traveling for a holiday and that they viewed relationships or sexual encounters as a coincidental part of their holiday. In comparison with the research in to male sex tourists this is very different, the male sex tourists tend to be traveling with the main idea of meeting a sexual partner and this is the primary reason for them traveling France (1997, p.108).

The main differences found between the male and female sex tourists was the places they visit and the places which their sexual encounters happen. The females travel to places which seem to have a romantic setting for example beaches and deserts and the males visit brothels and use prostitutes in Bangkok. This comparison would seem to be the reason why male sex tourists are viewed in such a negative way and also to add to this they are reluctant to talk about what they do therefor it seems even more illicit and secretive.
One of the most unexpected findings in the research was the idea that the male sex tourists do also travel for relationships not just for sex The National Survey of Sexual Attitudes in Sanders (2008). This research highlights the fact that although male sex tourists seem to be traveling for the sole purpose of sex they are also lonely and seeking companionship therefore if they were to talk about this they may not be seen in such a negative light.

In comparing both the male and female tourists it helped to highlight the reasons why they are both viewed the way they are and found that although the male sex tourists are seen in a negative light they are participating in the exact same kind of tourism as the females they are just a lot more secretive about it therefore people create their own opinion of them. It is important to research further in to male and female sex tourists before creating an opinion of them and from the research for this paper it could be said that male and female sex tourists are no better or worse than each other they just go about what they do in different ways but they do both travel and they do both take part in sexual or emotional relationships with local people therefor they are both sex tourists and should both be viewed in an equal manner.


Reference List

J. Elias, V. Bullough, V. Elias and J. Elders. (1996).'Men who buy sex: preliminary findings of an exploratory study, Prostitution: On Whores, Hustlers and Johns. New York: Prometheus Books.
Cole, S and Morgan, N. (2010). Tourism and Inequality Problems and prospects. Oxfordshire: CABI.
Sanders, T. (2008). Paying For Pleasure: Men Who Buy Sex. UK: Willan Publishing.