Sex Tourism in the 21st Century

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how, in the present era, the international tourism industry is consistently expanding as the tourists are eager to explore novel foreign landscapes and cultures and how, along with this rapid expansion, there comes a darker and furtive phenomenon i.e., sex tourism. The paper looks at the controversial definitions of sex tourism and brings to light various possible causes to the development of the sex tourism from political, economic, socio-cultural and technological framework. Malsow's hierarchy of need theory and supply-demand theory is also used to postulate the development of sex tourism.

From the Paper:

"Many of the sex workers who are residing in developing countries are living in an underprivileged condition. The need to fulfil their physical and physiological needs such as food for themselves and their families, shelter, education for their children, security and protection (level one and two in Maslow's hierarchy of needs) could contribute to the development of sex tourism. The influx of pleasure-seeking tourists from developed countries who bring higher currency rate could experience a great and fast potential to fulfil their physical and physiological needs. In-fact, money and poverty are the main motivation of sex workers in Thailand to stay in the business without considering the consequences (Booranapim & Mainwaring, 2002) and to cope with problem such as poverty and unemployment (Michael, 2006; Muecke, 1992)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ajagunna, I. 2006. Crime and Harassment in Jamaica: consequences for sustainability of the tourism industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. [online]. 18 (3). Pp. 253 - 259. Available from < http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?Filename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/0410180307.html> [Accessed June 12, 2008].
• Armitage, J and Witt, D. 2002. Sex Tourism and Prostitution: Aspects of Leisure, Recreation, and Work (Book). Deviant Behaviour. [online]. 23 (3). Pp. 301 - 304. Available from: <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=21&hid=17&sid=6ddad4b6-e17b-411d-985a-a601a86784aa%40SRCSM1&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=hjh&AN=6411298> [Accessed 16 June, 2008].
• Boeree, G. 2006. Personality theories - Abraham Maslow.[online] Available from : < http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/maslow.html> [Accessed July 26 2008].
• Booranapim, Y. & Mainwaring, L. 2002. Risk and reward in the Thai sex industry. International Journal of Social Economics. 29(10): pp.766 - 780.
• Bosch, X (2004) Spain makes plans to combat sex tourist. The Lancet. 363(9408): pg. 542.

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