Sex Tourism and Prostitution

Journal Extract: Sex Tourism and Prostitution

Sex tourism and prostitution are two very different things if one looks at it in a completely different perspective rather than the mere understanding of the act of sexual intercourse and monetary exchange alone. Sex tourism is a broad subject which doesn’t only pertain to sex seekers purchasing services of the sex providers. There are numerous and different ways to view sex tourism which includes; the purpose of travel, length of time, relationship, sexual encounter and who falls into the category. Besides the economic approach/perception towards sex tourism, there are factors which explains the wide array of causes why this kind of sex tourism is prevalent in the whole world. These include the need for love and affection, unexpected sexual encounters, and the most popular the monetary demand. Sex tourists’ intentions for sexual encounters are not all the same and some are different. Some sex tourists travel to avail of services of the sex providers for merely the sexual pleasure and some travel to developing countries to look for love and affection and sometimes turn out as potential “romantic” relationships with these sex providers. Some tourists travel to a destination not caused by sexual needs but still encounter these sexual experiences because the opportunity arises or because they basically become lonely. Lastly, the most common cause of sex tourism is the economic demand and the marketing of sexual providers and sexual services. Basically, poverty is a cause of this, thus using it as an income generating business to a widespread market. Prostitution on the other hand expounds on the economic aspect of it all. Prostitutes are basically women who

are paid or asked to be paid in exchange for sexual services. Prostitutes are basically manifestations of the prostituted economy of the Philippines.

In my opinion, in the Philippine context, prostitution due to financial demand is/was caused by the prostituted economy thus the fabrication of sex tourism. The prostituted economy of the Philippines states two fundamental problems. First problem dates back to the Spanish colonial period which left a feudal society and distinct classes. A privileged few was able to acquire the lands the friars left and these are the present 2 percent elite who own 75 percent of