SEX TOURISM AS ONE FACTOR OF TOURISM INDUSTRY

SEX TOURISM AS ONE FACTOR OF TOURISM INDUSTRY
An Undergraduate Research Paper Presented
To
Professor Carlos A. Garcia
In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements
For ENGL1023
By
BSTMI-1
Jonathan Kierby Ramirez
Christine dela Rosa Judearwin May Delena
Princess Jovele Mendoza Janah Antoinne Nasol
March 7, 2013
SEX TOURISM AS ONE FACTOR OF THE TOURISM INDUSTRY
Thesis Statement: Despite of the fact that sex tourism is an inappropriate, vicious,
profligacy sector of the tourism industry, still, there are ample benefits that it produces
that has multiplier effect to mankind.
I. Thesis Paper Introduction
A. Introduction
B. Definition
C. Brief History
D. Thesis Statement
II. Origin
A. World War II and the American Naval Base
B. Present Situation of Sex Tourism
C. Future Outlook of Sex Tourism
III. Consequences
A. To sex workers and clients
B. To government
C. To tourism industry
IV. Benefits
A. To sex workers and clients

B. To government
C. To tourism industry
V. Legalization Vs. Prohibition
A. Decriminalization of Prostitution in the Philippines
B. Forbidding of Prostitution in the Philippines
VI. Conclusion
SEX TOURISM AS ONE FACTOR OF TOURISM INDUSTRY
Leisure and tourism is considered as one way of getting away from our daily
routines. Numerous tourists feel bored and tired of their everyday life so they travel to
escape those environments. Their jobs and duties have become a hindrance to joyful
feelings in life.
But in the Tourism Industry, a dark sector raises called Sex Tourism. Who would
have thought that SEX is one of the various types of tourism that exists in our planet?
Yes. As a matter of fact it is a multibillion dollar industry that benefits financially not
only the sex industry but the airline, taxi, restaurant and the hotel industry also.
Travelling for sexual activities can be considered as a kind of leisure activities some
tourists are drawn towards. Amidst sudden boom and the monetary aspect that the world
has gained from sex tourism, do the people have already accepted this variety of tourism
as a living and as an activity?
Prostitution is the backbone of sex tourism. They are interconnected to each other.
Elements of sex tourism and prostitution are the same; otherwise, sex tourism involves
the transfer of the customer from his/her home destination to the host destination.
Prostitutes are available in tourist countries. Born in poverty, they are condemned to live
a sad and hopeless life. They have to sacrifice the most personal areas of their bodies for
their client’s satisfaction. It then leads to child exploitation and human trafficking because
of people who are desperate for a piece of profit.
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According to United Nations World Tourism Organization, Sex Tourism is
defined as “trips organized from within the sector, or from outside this sector but using its
structures and networks with the primary purpose of effecting a commercial sexual

relationship by the tourist with the residents at the destination.”
Sex Tourism traces its history when soldiers of World Wars I and II needed places
to relax and recreate after a long walk and trajectories in camps. When the military
started developing into seas, such as trade trips, the cities changed into busy roads with
places of entertainment for sailors and dealers. (Martin Opperman.)
It can be said that one of tourist motivation for travel is sex. Most of them, who
are married, do not want their spouses to find out and then ruin their marriages so they go
to other places. They want to escape the environments they have every day and have fun
for a moment when they travel, they then return back to their real life after achieving
their goals and desires and the episodes of love and relationships with women in other
countries normally fade and disappear. But there are times when we can see some tourists
who actually go back to those destinations and start the relationship again with the same
women they met on the last trip.
In our country, on a statement released by US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr., he
stressed that 40% of tourists visit the Philippines for sex (Jacky Lynne A. Oiga. Manila
Bulletin). Currently, prostitution in the Philippines is covered by Republic Act 9208,
known as the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act. Though, we can say that prostitution is
illegal in the Philippines, no laws in our shores has a direct prohibition about prostitution.
Currently, Senators Miriam Defensor–Santiago, Manny Villar and Lito Lapid proposed
Senate Bill No.1836 (Anti Prostitution Act of 2007) to address this problem. But despite
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these resolutions that our legislators are proposing, United Nations urges Filipino
statesmen to decriminalize prostitution. Shocking isn’t it? This is because to help curb
spread of sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV-AIDS, among sex workers and
partners. The fact that our country is the bedrock of Catholicism in Asia; this would be an
impossible measure. But as the credo “nothing is impossible” goes, well, who knows?
Despite of the fact that sex tourism is an inappropriate, vicious, profligacy sector
of the tourism industry, still, there are ample benefits that it produces that has a multiplier
effect to mankind.
There is no strong evidence that shows the exact birth of sex tourism in the

Philippines. But as the definition of the sex tourism implies, we can safely say that it
began from the comfort women of World War II. The name “comfort women” is a
translation of a Japanese name ianfu. Ianfu is a euphemism for shofu meaning
prostitute(s); wherein sex-starved Japanese soldiers forced Filipino “comfort women” to
spread their legs for the glory of the nation of the Rising Sun. Another picture that paved
way to the dawn of sex tourism in the country was the prostitution in Olongapo City.
Soon after World War II, the Philippines signed an agreement with the US government to
provide for the Americans an unhampered use of 23 naval bases all over the country for
99 years, and one of these naval bases was the Olongapo Naval Base. The “need” for
entertainment of the weary soldiers has been catered by nearby residents of the military
base. Soon numerous bars and brothels dotted Olongapo to respond to the sexual desires
of the American militia.
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Sex tourism has been increasingly and rapidly flourishing industry in the country
despite illicit status. Transactions are covertly done by sex tourists and sex workers.
Nowadays, child prostitution is a booming hit in the Philippines and to most parts of the
globe. Minors engaged in these kinds of activities are aged 13 to 17 years old. The
Philippines have the fourth-largest number of child prostitutes in the world, estimated at
around seventy-five thousand (Rowthorn, Choy, Grosberg, Martin and Orchard 2003,
p36). But due to secrecy, these figures were just purely estimation and have been thought
that there are more than what has been recorded. The high prevalence of child sex
workers of the country can be blame to poverty.
When someone is thinking of future scenarios, it will always be probably
associated with robotic technologies; and so as in sex tourism. Dr. Ian Yeoman,
Management professor and a futurist and has interest in tourism, and sexologist Michelle
Mars of University of Wellington have theorized this future view of sex tourism. Well,
sex robots have more advantages than human prostitutes. They don’t spread sexually
transmitted diseases and they can’t be sold into sex slavery. The first ever sex robot is
Roxxxy, developed by New Jersey based-company True Companion LLC. Roxxxy has
the capability to change personalities, from “Wild Wendy” to “Frigid Farrah”, perfect

enough to satisfy your sexual imaginations. True Companion LLC said that sex robots
will be available in the market in the future priced at $7,000 to $9,000.
The consequences of sexual tourism are diverse and numerous. The damage to the
social and culture fabric of societies known as “destination” countries cannot be
overstated. Health consequences such as increased risk of HIV and STD’s are felt in both
the “destination” country and the tourist’s native land. The global movement of novel
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infectious disease pathogens has been in large part due to the international commercial
sex industry. Sex tourism also furthers gender inequalities and promotes violence towards
women. The practice has no redeeming social benefits, and should be considered a
deplorable action, undertaken by narcissistic, ignorant, and / or severely misinformed
individuals.
The risk factors for sex workers and sex clients are very high, and many succumb
to AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Those who seek out sexual services,
particularly those who are married or in other relationship, risk the lives of their partners
when they return home. While awareness and prevention is the key to preventing these
unfortunate outcomes, it is a reality that many wives, girlfriends, and boyfriends still
become infected with these diseases, due to the irresponsibility of their loved ones.
Sexual violence and physical assault are the norm for women in legal
prostitution. In one Dutch study, 60 per cent of women in legal prostitution were
physically assaulted, 70 per cent were threatened with physical assault, 40 per cent
experienced sexual violence and 40 per cent had been coerced in legal prostitution. In
nine countries, we found that 60 per cent of women, men and transgendered people in
prostitution had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a prevalence that is comparable
to that of battered men and women, and survivors of state-sponsored torture.
Farley
Sex Tourism delivers golden gravy to both sex workers and partners. As an
economic activity, many sex workers have gained a living from this kind of job especially
on those countries with high prevalence of poverty. Benefits in Sex Tourism aren’t just
about economy, or on money. It also has health benefits. Sexual activity can lessen stress,

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promote better blood pressure, boosts immunity, burn calories, improve heart health,
better self-esteem, may turn down pain, frequent ejaculation may prevent prostate cancer,
stronger pelvic bone muscles, and better sleep.
Tourism industry plays a big role in every country’s economy. That is why
governments of each country are spending billions of dollars for advertisements and
promotional instructions. Sex Tourism also has big economic impact. Moreover, it
contributes 1 billion dollars a year in The Netherlands and accounts five percent of the
Dutch economy (Hannah Carrigg). How can the Sex Tourism do such revenue? Sex
Tourism increases tourist traffic in a country. Thus, it increases the flow of foreign
currency fund in a country. Since sex tourism increases tourism arrivals, it helps develop
the tourism industry which in turn will create more jobs in a country. More jobs mean
lesser poverty. Lesser poverty means a good and stable economy. Furthermore, since sex
tourism can help maturate the tourism industry, all sectors ancillary to it also blooms.
The UN said the criminalization of sex-related jobs increases workers’
susceptibility to HIV by “fuelling stigma and discrimination, limiting access to sexual
health services, condoms and harm reduction services; and adversely affecting the self
esteem of sex workers and their ability to make informed choices about their health.”
“Decriminalization enables sex workers to organize within their communities and
register their organizations, obtain identification documents so that they can fully access
services and entitlements, engage in advocacy and respond to the health and safety needs
of their peers,” the UN said.
By legalizing prostitution, a government can help bring sex workers under labor
protections offered to other workers. Some claim that prostitution in inherently unsafe
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and so should not be sanctioned by labor laws, but many other industries are unsafe such
as the mining industry, and this was precisely the reason why government labor laws and
unions were created to protect them. Legalization won’t cure all of the abuses involved in
the sex industry. But, if it will make the environment marginally safer, which is an
appropriate step in the right direction. In other words, legitimizing prostitution in the

Philippines will pave way to equal treatment to sex workers. Their rights as a worker will
also be protected under Presidential Decree No. 442 or the Labor Code of the Philippines.
They will be given the rights to become a member of government-owned financial
institutions such as the SSS, GSIS, PhilHealth, etc.
Moreover, a legalized form of prostitution will help lessen the incidence of human
trafficking. As it is in Nevada, you have legal, independent brothels that are safe. Thus, it
would mean that rules would have to be applied and the business monitored. This would
bring prostitution out of the black market and reduce sex trafficking because more
credentials are needed.
The fear regarding health matters in prostitution will also be lessening.
Legalization would improve the sexual health of sex workers and their partners. The
activity occurs in a clean environment rather than on the street. In Nevada and Victoria
prostitutes undergo regular health examinations as a condition on working in the brothels.
Furthermore, the use of contraception is compulsory and such devices are made freely
available.
“Removing legal penalties for sex work assists HIV prevention and treatment
programmes to reach sex workers and their clients,” the UN said in its report titled “Sex
Work and the Law in Asia and the Pacific.”
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The problem of a high concentration of sex tourist in a small number of
destinations will disappear once a larger number of countries legalize prostitution.
Supporting this motion, therefore, will reduce the problem of sex tourism. A tax on the
free charged by a prostitute, and the imposition of income tax on the earnings of
prostitutes would generate a revenue.
Numerous empirical studies find that legalization of prostitution decrease
instances of rape. And, the logic of it holds together fairly well. By bringing prostitution
out of the shadows, predators will feel less able to rape prostitutes with impunity;
particularly in the context of legal brothels with security cameras, guards, boundaries,
and the threat of legal punishment, the potential for instances of rape is dramatically
reduced.

On the other hand, Sex is a special act, in some senses a sacred act. It is an act of
love and of the creation of human life. Prostitution devalues this “sacred” role of sex in
our lives, by commoditizing the act. As such, prostitution devalues all of our moral
standards, and is thus abhorrent. Considering that the majority of men who visits
prostitutes are married, this should be considered as morally wrong. It breaks harmony of
the family and dooms the ethical aspect of the society.
Prostitution is a form of rape. It is an environment in which women are effectively
forced by a man to have sex with them merely through the fact that they are willing to
pay. And, this relationship is frequently established between a pimp and customer instead
of between the customer and the prostitute, undermining the notion of the contract being
established between consenting adults. If the woman is truly consenting, prostitution
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takes on a form of paying man forcing a woman to have sex with him, which can be
viewed as a form of rape. The number of violent attacks on prostitutes, including rape and
murder, and the considerably greater number of such crimes which are believed to go
unreported, suggests that prostitutes themselves are the victims of the most serious
criminal offences.
The world is nothing but a polarity of good and bad, white and black, comedia
and tragedia, positive and negative, and passes and failures. But it is the good, the white,
the comedia, and the positive and passes that counts. Benefits always outweigh
consequences. Though sex tourism involves the trade of flesh and money, we cannot deny
the fact that this kind of activity already exists even before the existence of modern
technology. In an era where wealth and money is the paradigm for almost everything,
hypocrisy for what sounds good or sounds better is a no-no. Sex Tourism is just like
Robin Hood and Tom Sawyer. Perhaps, the manner that they used to lend assistance to
their people didn’t come from a decent way; it is their willingness to give help to the
needy that marked onto our minds. Sex tourism might be utilizing an inapt structure but
the payback that it generates can actually benefit the common good.