How much do sex tourists contribute to the Thai economy?

[Beachlover]

tourism is 6% of thailand's economy. only S I X percent!

Please tell where you got this figure. I have read things which led me to believe that the tourist industry accounted for a lot more of Thailand's economic income. 6% certainly seems to be low.

Continuing on from the discussion on Kquill's thread: silly-business-ideas-and-tactics-t24047.html

Wikipedia says TOURISM accounts for 6% of the Thai economy, which is significant. Wikipedia also quotes estimates that foreigners only account for 20% of the commercial sex industry in Thailand.

1. What portion of that 6% do you reckon SEX TOURISM accounts for?

2. Do you reckon sex tourists spend MORE or LESS per day than the average tourist?

Purely for the sake of discussion... And keep in mind, even if the end figure is only 1% of the total economy, it's still fairly significant.

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[latintopxxx]

6% is huge, most EU countries are struggling to hit even 1%; and all you need is fresh meat and cold beers...no capital investment...or serious training...

[christianpfc]

I once read somewhere that tourists coming to Thailand are 60% male and 40% female. If we leave out families and assume that female tourists are accompagnied by their husband or boyfriend, that leaves 20% of the tourists being male and coming alone. If we further assume that all these come for sex, that would make 20% of the tourists sex tourists. Comparing the number of bars, gay sex tourism seems to be about 10% of total sex tourism. All number are from memory/estimation and I can't give a source.

[martin911]

tourism is 6% of thailand's economy. only S I X percent!

Please tell where you got this figure. I have read things which led me to believe that the tourist industry accounted for a lot more of Thailand's economic income. 6% certainly seems to be low.

Continuing on from the discussion on Kquill's thread: silly-business-ideas-and-tactics-t24047.html

Wikipedia says TOURISM accounts for 6% of the Thai economy, which is significant. Wikipedia also quotes estimates that foreigners only account for 20% of the commercial sex industry in Thailand.

1. What portion of that 6% do you reckon SEX TOURISM accounts for?

2. Do you reckon sex tourists spend MORE or LESS per day than the average tourist?

Purely for the sake of discussion... And keep in mind, even if the end figure is only 1% of the total economy, it's still fairly significant.

Good Topic !!

1. But how do you define sex tourism ??

Is it the likes of say Mr Mikey getting off the La express and getting to silom/boytown as quick as he can so he can get to the bars as soon he can to off the first boy he likes ,and repeats this process many times over the next 10 days or so before he returnss to Swampy and goes home ,and to count down the x days he has till return to Thailand -- im guessing Yes to him !!

Is it the likes of said Mikey and wifey getting off the la express --going to Samui/Phuket and him sneaking off from their hotel every other day for a "massage " from one of the islands lovely young maidens ?? --does he Qualify as a sex tourist ?? --Mabye

Is it a Mikey of a certain age (say normal retirement age )that has relocated to a 1 bed condo in Jomtien --and spends more than say 7/8 months of the year in Thailand -- spending afternoons at the gay beach lusting over the fit Thai guys and spends the evenings wandering from restaurant to restaurant looking for the best offer on that nite !! --- is he a sex tourist ??

Is it a Mikey of a much younger age that is financially independent, that has relocated to Thailand ,mabye has a job in Thai /or has business interests in his home country ,that lives in Thailand ,has a long term boyfriend in Thailand but meets guys in the clubs /gay romeo and pays the vast majority of them simply for the reason thats its the done thing in Thai (but does not have to pay for it in other countries because its "normal gay hookups ")--is he a sex tourist ??

Is it a Russian/ Chinese Mikey tour group getting on the coach in Bkk/Ptta and brought around the country by coach , with one of the stops being at a giant massage place where the "tour guide " brings them into a big room with one side lined with glass which on the otherside has 40/50 smiling ladies with a number attached to their lovely silk dresses -waiting to be picked by said Mikey and whisked upstairs for a lovely "bubble bath with +++ " --is he a sex tourist ???

Is sex tourism defined simply by the paying for of sex?? --regardless of the amount of times one pays for it --ie 1 time is the same as 25 times ???

lets start by the definition of the aforesaid 6% "sex tourists "

[Brisboy82]

I once read somewhere that tourists coming to Thailand are 60% male and 40% female. If we leave out families and assume that female tourists are accompagnied by their husband or boyfriend, that leaves 20% of the tourists being male and coming alone. If we further assume that all these come for sex, that would make 20% of the tourists sex tourists. Comparing the number of bars, gay sex tourism seems to be about 10% of total sex tourism. All number are from memory/estimation and I can't give a source.

The total must be lower though as there are plenty of young male travellers coming to Thailand who are not sex tourists. A lot of male backpackers arrive alone. They might hook up with female backpackers but usually not chasing the locals and not actually going to thailand for sex.

[Sooty]

1. But how do you define sex tourism ??

Another easy question and one for which there are multiple definitions on the Internet with subtle variations. What they have in common I will paraphrase as "Someone who travels to another country for the principal but not sole purpose of having sex". I don't go to Thailand for the temples I go to get fucked ergo I am a sex tourist. I might go and look at the temples, after all, a girl can't be flat on her back with her legs in the air 24/7 ...

[martin911]

I once read somewhere that tourists coming to Thailand are 60% male and 40% female. If we leave out families and assume that female tourists are accompagnied by their husband or boyfriend, that leaves 20% of the tourists being male and coming alone. If we further assume that all these come for sex, that would make 20% of the tourists sex tourists. Comparing the number of bars, gay sex tourism seems to be about 10% of total sex tourism. All number are from memory/estimation and I can't give a source.

The total must be lower though as there are plenty of young male travellers coming to Thailand who are not sex tourists. A lot of male backpackers arrive alone. They might hook up with female backpackers but usually not chasing the locals and not actually going to thailand for sex.

"usually not chasing the locals " --i doubt it lol -----
What about the locals chasing them !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Beachlover]

Good points, Martin911!

You know those immigration cards where they ask you to tick the primary purpose of your visit? It might be for holiday, to see relatives, for business or study or a combination of them. But where there's a combination of reasons, you're supposed to pick the primary purpose.

I suppose if someone's primary reason for visiting or moving to Thailand is sex with prostitutes, even if they might have other side reasons (like the weather, like the food, shopping etc.) then I would say that defines them as a sex tourist. I guess that would rule out scenarios 2, 4 and 5 in your post.

1. But how do you define sex tourism ??

there are multiple definitions on the Internet with subtle variations.

Yes, there are some variations. Wikipedia defines sex tourism as sex with prostitutes so that definition would rule me out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_tourism

On the other hand, if you just define it as someone who travels someplace to have sex, regardless of whether that person pays for it, then that would mean I'm a sex tourist every time I visit Thailand, Singapore and any number of other Asian countries because I often have sex and hooking up on my mind!

that leaves 20% of the tourists being male and coming alone. If we further assume that all these come for sex, that would make 20% of the tourists sex tourists.

I like your attempt at deduction but we can't make that assumption. Lots of males come alone and have no intention of having sex with prostitutes. Most of my mates have gone to Thailand alone or with groups of other males and had no desire to get into that side of Thailand. The first couple of times I visited Thailand, I was just a backpacker, doing the usual backpacker stuff with the beaches, trekking and such.

I also think a good number of females travel to Thailand alone (not with their husbands or boyfriends, as you say) so in fact, your calculations are invalid from the start!

[gerefan2]

]Lots of males come alone and have no intention of having sex with prostitutes.

Crap.

Most of my mates have gone to Thailand alone or with groups of other males and had no desire to get into that side of Thailand.

Your gullible!

[Dboy]

1. But how do you define sex tourism ??

Another easy question and one for which there are multiple definitions on the Internet with subtle variations.

No, I DON'T think that's an easy question, and I think asking the question that way almost guarantees that any information derived would be useless. If one wanted to attempt to answer the question as presented you'd first have to make an arbitrary definition along the lines of: "a sex tourist is defined as someone who spends more than x% of his/her time, doing y activity". If someone flies into CM, goes on an elephant trek for a week, then goes to visit a coffee plantation, then travels to Pattaya and spends 4 days in boyztown doing whatever he likes to do...is that a sex tourist? What % of a trip has to be spent doing some particular activity in order to earn the label? For some tourists, it's an obvious case; but for many/most I'd say it's not, and therefore any definition would be arbitrary. In addition, there's inherent bias built in to the term "sex tourist" as if that's a bad thing. I think it CAN be bad, but I don't think it necessarily is by DEFINITION. You could certainly get information like # of golf course visits by those on 30-day entry stamps, or hotel stays, or restaurant visits, etc.. But it seems to me that forming the question the way it is, is really a political question, politics wrapped up in false morality rather than a question of tourist statistics. Asking the question that way is not much different from running a poll with a question like: "What percentage of time do christians spend beating their children". There's bias built into the question.