

In assuming most men going on holiday alone to Thailand, are going to have sex with prostituted women or men?

(770 Posts)
Grennie Sat 15-Feb-14 13:52:03

It is estimated that about 1% of Thailand's GDP is earned through sexual exploitation tourism.

In 2003 (the last year for which full figures are available) some 545,000 British residents arrived on visits. If you remove the children, and the British citizens visiting for business or reasons other than a holiday, you arrive at about 489,000—314,000 men and 175,000 women. That is 139,000 more British men than women coming to Thailand for a holiday—a gap of 28 per cent.

In no other international holiday destination, is there such a big difference in the number of women and men travelling there. There is no obvious reason for this apart from prostitution.

Bluestocking Sat 15-Feb-14 13:54:02

Of course you're being unreasonable. All those additional men are, of course, going to Thailand for the temples and beaches.

LadyBeagleEyes Sat 15-Feb-14 13:55:16

Yup, of course you're right OP.

SantanaLopez Sat 15-Feb-14 13:55:45


You're not going to tick the box that says 'sexual tourism' on the questionnaire, are you? Where do those figures come from?

Grennie Sat 15-Feb-14 13:55:52

Of course bluestocking! Men like temples and beaches much better than women obviously.

scarletforya Sat 15-Feb-14 13:59:05

Having been there and seeing what goes on, depressingly yanbu.

But that doesn't mean that every man who goes there on his own, or in a group, is going for the sex tourism.

This is in response to the other thread.

The OP's BF had been to different Asian destinations.

My planned 50th in four years will be to one if these destinations, probably Vietnam.

Once my children are grown, I

I would have thought that Amsterdam would show similar figures if that were the case.

Kendodd Sat 15-Feb-14 14:01:35

I think there are a lot of groups of men travelling together so I think you are probably reading too much into those numbers. Although I'm not denying lots and lots of those men are going to exploit sex workers, you numbers are too crude.

Loopylouu Sat 15-Feb-14 14:02:22

Until I went to Bangkok I might have disagreed with you.

I was only in the city two nights staying with a friend who worked there but my god, the amount of western men there for sex tourism was astounding.

I never really believed my friend when she told me stories about it, but then I saw it with my own eyes.

TheGonnagle Sat 15-Feb-14 14:02:36

When staying in Phuket one year, dh and I were utterly flabbergasted by the number of single western men of a certain age holidaying alone. And every morning they would come down to breakfast with a different girl half their age. It was utterly depressing, and this wasn't in Patong (dodgy bar capital of Phuket) either, it was way across the island.
We have been back to Thailand many times since, but we give Phuket, Pattaya and parts of Bangkok a wide berth for this reason.

caramelwaffle Sat 15-Feb-14 14:03:08


Given the subject of the other thread; yadnbu

Nomama Sat 15-Feb-14 14:04:25

OPs bf seems different, as he has been to other Asian, exotic destinations.

Depressingly I know 3 married men who go to Thailand every year, one even takes wifey. All 3 are most definitely sex tourists, they talk about it openly.

My DH finds it hard to reconcile their home lives with their holiday choices... I usually just ignore its reality. I couldn't talk to the wives if I didn't.

Sorry, I plan to see all of those destinations.

I know lots of people who go to these places for the history and beaches/environment/culture.

My DD's go to Amsterdam, they don't smoke weed, or are into specialist bondage gear.

Russia, Poland and other places will shortly be associated with cheap sex, I can honestly say that I don't go to either of those to get shagged, I can do that at home.

LuisSuarezTeeth Sat 15-Feb-14 14:08:10

Very informative. What's your point?

If you want to see women in their 50's+ with different young men every night, go to Marmarius.

But I wouldn't tar everyone going to Turkey, with the same brush.

juneau Sat 15-Feb-14 14:15:51

Well, rightly or wrongly, I'm afraid I would assume the same OP.

I also assume that single women of a certain age going to the Gambia or Jamaica are looking for more than sunshine and a rum cocktail.

LadyBeagleEyes Sat 15-Feb-14 14:22:51

As a single woman of a certain age I wouldn't go to the destinations mentioned above on my own. I'd go somewhere where I wasn't hassled by beach boys for easy sex, some countries just have a reputation.

WilsonFrickett Sat 15-Feb-14 14:22:52

I've been, I've seen it. YANBU.

When DH and I were on holiday he went down to the bar to watch a football match as I was a bit jetlagged. He got talking to a guy who was heading out after the match to pick up a prostitute, whom we saw him with the next morning. He was on a 2 night stopover breaking his journey home to Australia to attend his mother's funeral.

olidusUrsus Sat 15-Feb-14 14:26:23

I'd be more suspicious of the "business visit" statistics tbh, rather than the general holidaying ones.

PiratePanda Sat 15-Feb-14 14:27:46

I know plenty of solo back packers of both sexes who do indeed go to Thailand for the temples and the beaches. Not saying there isn't obviously a big problem with sex tourism there, but it is by no means ALL the solo male travellers.

JohnFarleysRuskin Sat 15-Feb-14 14:29:16

Or drugs? There used to be a lot of drugs in Thailand.

It 'to find themselves'

NBU. My FIL won't go to Thailand not MIL has died because he would get hassled too much. My BF, who traveled to Thailand to see me when I was there, had a hard time when I wasn't with him, hated being hassled and found a bar which didn't have bar girls because it freaked him out so much. If you are a single man, Thailand can be a difficult place to travel if you DON'T want to exploit women because it is assumed (for very good reason). Such a shame because it is stunning and wonderful as well.


I'm reaching that age. I'd love to go to Jamaica. I've been a Carer most of my life, it's going to be the next stage of my life in which I can go and do what I want, but that doesn't include needing to travel for sex.

Why is any other form of judgement, such as, immigrant = benefit scrounger/criminal, Young Mum = Lone/feckless parent, SN = excuse for ineffective patenting, on MN criticised, but the assumptions on this (and the other thread) are fine?

Perhaps just stop making assumptions about people you don't know?

JohnFarleysRuskin Sat 15-Feb-14 14:34:28

I think it depends on the area.

There is a massive traveling community and diving community in thailand. Certainly most young people are more interested in living like in 'The Beach' not in prostitutes..

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