4Sex Tourism in Thailand As we enter the new millennium, the world's post-colonial nations are still seeking ways to compete in an increasingly globalized and consumer-driven economic environment. Many developing countries have posited that tourism is an effective catalyst for development and greater international understanding. Thailand, which has embraced tourism as key to its modernization strategy, has been hailed by many as a paradigm of success. Over the past twenty years, Thailand has enjoyed one of the fastest rates of economic growth among all developing countries. This rapid progress has allowed Thailand to emerge as an economic leader in the Third World. The $4 billion a year in revenue from tourism represents the main support of the Thai economy (Bishop, p. VI). Thai officials have attributed the success of the tourism industry to the numerous attractions located in various parts of the country, as well as the uniqueness of the Thai people, their friendliness and hospitality (Bishop, p. 67). However, the Thai government has failed to recognize the contribution of sex tourism which, according to estimates by Professor Krikiat Phiapatserithan of Thammasat University (World Congress, Regional Profiles, p. 3), generates approximately 1.5 billion dollars each year. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Thailand's failure to recognize sex tourism reflects the discourse used by the global tourism industry to analyze the success of the sector. From the point of view of the tourism industry, the success of tourism is directly related only to economic factors, everything else is considered superfluous. It is in the best interests of tourism businesses and countries that depend on tourism to discourage the circulation of information regarding potential negative impacts related to tourism. Censorship of information by these entities has caused much of the public to ignore the negative consequences of Thailand's mass tourism industry. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of sex tourism, using Thailand as the basis of my investigation. I will begin by shedding light on the complex social and economic factors that have shaped the modern Thai sex industry. I will then link the detrimental effects on Thailand's cultural values ​​and quality of life to the emergence of child sex tourism, which has emerged as a significant contributor to tourism revenues in recent years. I will then provide examples of how the deliberate manipulation of information by the Thai government and the tourism industry is responsible for the spread of inaccurate images related to sex tourism. Then I will try to link information manipulation to tourists' behaviors and attitudes, as well as Thai government policy. In conclusion, I will provide the future prospects for sex tourism in Thailand. Historical, social and economic roots: Many believe that Vietnam was the beginning of the creation of a large-scale sex industry in Thailand. During the Vietnam War Thailand was a popular destination for rest and relaxation for American servicemen. To meet the demands of American soldiers eager to pay for a temporary sexual partner, new brothels and go-go bars sprang up almost overnight. After the war the Thai government took an active position in promoting the growth of the tourism industry in the hope that it could contribute to the modernization process. The half million prostitutes left over from the war wereseen as a commodity that could be reused. actively exploited in exchange for the influx of much needed foreign currency. Sex tours from Japan have brought many Japanese to spend for free, which has significantly contributed to the rapid growth of tourism. Tourist arrivals jumped from one million in 1973 to five million in 1990. During this period the Thai government made no attempt to curb the growth of tourism.prostitution. In fact, they adopted measures that favored its growth. Deputy Prime Minister Boonchoo Rojanasathian urged the National Conference of Provincial Governors to encourage certain entertainment, which could be considered disgusting and embarrassing because it was related to sexual pleasures (Jubilee, p. 3). The result of this discourse was the relaxation of regulations regarding the operation of bars. Eventually the growth of Thailand's tourism industry succeeded in creating rapid economic growth and modernization. However, Thailand has become so dependent on the tourism industry that a significant reduction in the number of tourists, for any reason, would likely lead to the collapse of the entire Thai economy, resulting in widespread poverty. That's one reason why Thai officials have been reluctant to crack down on the sex industry, which is estimated to contribute a quarter of all revenue generated by tourism. The rapid growth and modernization created by tourism has rapidly changed Thailand's economic and social structures. These changes have led to the Thai economy and Thai women being slaves to the sex trade. Thailand's total gross national income has nearly tripled over the past 50 years (World Congress, context, p. 2). However, despite this rapid growth, the income gap between rich and poor has only widened (Jubilee, p. 4). This disparity was caused by a drastic shift from an agricultural-based economy to the spread of a market economy. Lower crop prices and crop failures due to drought and floods have led to widespread poverty among Thailand's rural populations. This forced the mass migration of the rural population to the cities (Jubilee, p.2). The dire economic reality of these people has caused the disintegration of traditional Thai families. Until recently Thailand was a patriarchal society. One study showed that 73% of families said they would like to have daughters, while only 27% expressed a desire to have sons (Jubilee, p. 3). Widespread poverty has led families to consider children, especially girls, as an economic burden. . Children and women have fallen to the lowest strata of the socioeconomic ladder and are therefore the ones who have suffered the most (Jubilee, p. 4). The closing of options for many families has forced parents to force their children to fend for themselves and in some circumstances has led to people selling their children, especially girls (World Congress, background, p. 1). The influx of Western ideals is another factor that has contributed to the victimization of many women and children by the sex industry. The spread of consumerism by the mass media and through face-to-face interactions with Western tourists has led Thais to increasingly appreciate money and consumer items. Materialism has led many to value their possessions more than their sense of self-worth. This materialistic greed has led many poor families to sell their children to obtain material goods. The market value of a child is between 7,000 and 30,000 baht, depending on attractivenesschild physics (Jubilee, p.2). For families living in constant poverty and earning only 5,000 baht a year, 30,000 baht is very attractive. The emergence of the child sex market: The child prostitution market was created by a number of factors. During the 1970s pedophiles from Western countries were attracted to Thailand due to its lenient laws against prostitution and high currency exchange rate (Jubilee, p. 3). The supply of customers meant that exploiters acquired children through sale and kidnapping to satisfy their needs. request. Widespread rural poverty and the low socioeconomic status of children caused the influx of a large supply of rural children who could be purchased relatively cheaply. To avoid government interference, Thai officials were bribed or in some cases offered a share of the profits from the trade. When the AIDS epidemic severely affected the sex industry during the 1980s, many sex tourists began engaging in child sex tourism because children were seen as a safe alternative to adults. Underage prostitutes were considered less risky due to their young age. Contrary to this opinion, sex with underage prostitutes actually increases the likelihood of AIDS transmission due to children's immature bodies (Jubilee, p. 4). Over the past decade the media, particularly the travel industry, has developed a taste for women with feminine qualities. The result of this trend is an ever-increasing demand for underage prostitutes as well as the continued lowering of the desired age for underage prostitutes. Due to these unfortunate circumstances, the child sex trade has grown steadily and an estimated one million children enter it each year (World Congress, overview, p. 2). The government's manipulation of information dissemination: Despite the immeasurable harm the sex trade has caused to the Thai people, the government has refused to take an active role in controlling it. In the name of prosperity, the Thai government has narrowed its focus on tourism-related issues to the exclusion of anything that is not strictly an economic function (Bishop, p. 66). In essence, the Thai government feels justified in sacrificing an entire generation of women and children for economic development. THAI International, a government-funded agency, has addressed the problems associated with the AIDS epidemic and the sex trade, not as a threat to the nation or its people, but as a threat to the tourism industry (Bishop , p. 68). It seems that greed for money and power have led to widespread government corruption which has led to a disgusting disintegration of morality. The Thai government swept sex tourism under the rug with a public relations campaign designed to save tourism's identity (Bishop, p. 70). Thai social critic Siriporn Skrobanek argues that the ruling class valorizes poor women's bodies as a means of attracting tourists and earning foreign exchange. This strategy has made Thailand a country that all the people who go there appreciate and want to return to. It is beautiful and there is something for all tastes (Bishop, p. 75). Over the past decade, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and THAI International have led an effort to attract wealthy white male tourists. An advert, published by a company called Incentive Asia Destination Services, promises to turn fantasy into reality and reality into fantasy for those who deserve to achieve great things. A brochure entitled Thai Values: Journey to the Land of Smiles, states that iThai values ​​make Thailand the ultimate incentive; So much for so little; The beauty and the beach; Thai antiques, art and crafts, all at rock-bottom prices; Living values; The most accessible luxury in Asia; and all the glitz of Thailand at your command. This advertisement promotes a form of neocolonialism. Goods in the form of pleasure are exploited by rich former imperialist powers to the detriment of a poor and underdeveloped country (Bishop, p. 70). The Thai government refuses to openly recognize sex tourism. In fact, if they did, it would not be acceptable to openly promote the sector. Instead they promote Thailand as a place with young, beautiful and sensual women who are eager to serve you best. The manipulation of information dissemination by the tourism industry: there are real sex tours that you can get for a modest amount of money. Promotional advertising can be found in glossy brochures and tour information on the Internet. I found two Asian sex tour agencies on the Internet. It is shocking to see how these advertisements have helped create and sustain stereotypes about the Thai tourism industry. The first advertisement I analyzed is from an agency called Thailand Teenage Girls Bangkok. He says Have you ever wished you could go on an exotic vacation and be surrounded by teenage girls who only want you for sex!! Well, you go on a sex holiday and you can have sex with cute teen girls like these all day and night, a different one every time if you want! Why not take a week's holiday in an exotic destination and fuck your brains out. Everything is organized for you, including a guide who can organize the girls for you! See the details inside!!! Who knows you might even want to take one home with you and that can be arranged too! On the front page it shows ten young Thai women, dark and naked. The women on the cover are consciously designed so that the reader believes that all Thai women are friendly, beautiful and primitive. The addition promotes the hedonistic idea that Thai women who are prostitutes only want you for sex. Not mentioned is the fact that many women are victims of poverty and in some cases of kidnapping. The most shocking aspect of this addition is the deliberate promotion of prostitution among teenage girls. It's not hard for someone to twist the message of the addition to say: come have sex with little girls and boys. It is illegal for companies to sell sex to minors. However, despite these regulations, this still happens. Danny Smith, an undercover journalist for a British TV channel, secretly recorded with a hidden camera what a tour operator told him. I can confirm that we can get you children around the age of ten or eleven. No problem? If you want the kids to be younger, just give me an age. Give me a number. Even though child sex tourism is not seen among the general public, it certainly exists. There have been cases of children as young as four years old being sold into prostitution (Smith, p. 1). The second addition comes from Ultimate Asia Sex Tour Travel in Video, which is based in Honolulu, Hawaii. The first paragraph says: If you have ever dreamed of going to Thailand and fucking every night with the most beautiful young sexy girls with thousands of the hottest sexy girls just waiting to fulfill your wildest sexual fantasies, now is the time to go with the Thai Baht at historic lows!!! It promotes the myth that Thai women are all erotic and beautiful and just want to please you. This addition also promotes economic inequalities that allow Westerners to exploit Thailand. In the first.