"THIRD WORLD PARADISE": HOW SEX TOURISTS IN THAILAND PERCEIVE THEMSELVES, THEIR HOSTS AND THE INDUSTRY A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Justice Studies by Ramona Furkert Regina, Saskatchewan November, 2010 ©2010: Ramona Furkert Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington OttawaONK1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-79863-8 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-79863-8 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extra its substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1*1 Canada UNIVERSITY OF REGINA FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES AND RESEARCH SUPERVISORY AND EXAMINING COMMITTEE Ramona Furkert, candidate for the degree of Master of Arts in Justice Studies, has presented a thesis titled, "Third World Paradise": How Sex Tourists in Thailand Perceive Themselves, Their Hosts and the Industry, in an oral examination held on October 1, 2010. The following committee members have found the thesis acceptable in form and content, and that the candidate demonstrated satisfactory knowledge of the subject material. External Examiner: Dr. Meredith Cherland, Faculty of Education Co-Supervisor: Dr. Annette Desmarais, Department of Justice Studies Co-Supervisor: Dr. Pamela Downe, Adjunct Professor, Department of Justice Studies Committee Member: Dr. Darlene Juschka, Department of Women's and Gender Studies Chair of Defense: Dr. Emily Eaton, Department of Geography *Not present at defense Abstract The goal of this research is to examine how pleasure travellers, particularly sex tourists, see themselves in relation to their hosts. Discourse analysis is used to examine how the use of particular language amongst travellers and sex tourists reflects their understanding (or lack thereof) of cultural and gender issues, as well as colonial history, in determining their attitudes towards, and perception of, their hosts. An analysis of postings on a popular sex travellers' forum, the World Sex Guide (WSG), provides insight into how sex tourists understand the industry and how they see themselves in relation to the sex workers, as well as how sex tourists come to view themselves as dominant entities, entitled to receive sexual services from women whom they see as subordinate. This research focuses specifically on Thailand, as it has a robust sex-for-sale industry and has a reputation for being one of the premier sex tourism destinations in the world for heterosexual exchanges. A total of 355 posts were analyzed as part of this research. Overall, the data suggests that the individuals who use the WSG forum share the same views in regard to sex tourism, including the commodification of women (those who work in the industry, as well as others), their superior position as privileged, Eurowestem travellers, and their sense of entitlement to access sexual services. The three overarching themes that emerged from this research are power relations, use of language to subordinate and exploitation. The research found that most tourists (particularly those travelling to developing countries) and sex tourists in general, tend to approach their experiences and interactions with local peoples from a dominant position, and this privileged status is often used to their advantage in order to leverage services or experiences. Easy access to and ii availability of sex workers, using money to leverage power, and a perceived dominant status as a Eurowestem tourist all work together to provide an encounter that is most often controlled by the client. While it appears that tourists are often aware of their privileged position, this does not mean that they will use that awareness to inform their interactions with those in the host country. Sex tourist destinations are often seen as racialized and gendered spaces amongst travelers, an understanding that may be a result of stereotypes, the popular media, or targeted marketing campaigns. This study found that language choices used to describe encounters and experiences in Thailand reinforced such understandings. The language used by members of the WSG forum was fairly uniform; new and seasoned writers alike seemed to be able to understand and relate to one another. They often shared the same opinion on how these relationships or encounters differed from those they could expect to have at home; the social, economic and cultural difference between themselves and their hosts made it possible to elevate access to services and experiences that they would likely not encounter in their home country. iii Acknowledgements I would like to thank my co-supervisors, Dr. Annette Desmarais and Dr. Pamela Downe for their academic support and guidance, and encouragement throughout this process. I would also like to thank my committee member, Dr. Darlene Juschka for many hours of thoughtful discussion. I am especially grateful that Drs. Downe and Juschka have provided me with such insight into this topic and area of research, proving to be invaluable resources throughout this process. I would also like to thank the Graduate Students' Association and the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research for providing financial support in the form of scholarships, which allowed me to focus on completing my studies. iv Table of Contents CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH STUDY 1 Introduction 1 Research Goal 5 Structure 7 Exploring the Context 7 A History of the Sex Industry in Thailand 9 Prostitution Policy in Thailand 13 The Myth of the Bangkok Bar Girl 14 Prostitution: A Human Rights Violation or a Form of Labour? 17 CHAPTER 2: CONCEPTUAL FRAME WORKS 20 Tourism 20 Travel Writing 27 Through Eurowestem Eyes 32 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 36 Introduction 36 Data Source 41 Data Analysis 44 Ethical Considerations 46 CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH FINDINGS 49 Introduction 49 Themes 54 Theme 1: "You Can Get Anything...": Power Relations 54 Access and Availability 55 The Value of the "Goods" 58 Theme 2: Use of Language to Subordinate 64 Interactions Between Worker and Client 70 Theme 3: "A Warning About Sin City": How to Avoid Being Exploited 74 Money Issues 74 Health Issues 77 Keeping the Illusion Alive 83 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 88 LIST OF REFERENCES 97 v CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH STUDY Introduction Tourism can be understood as a complex phenomenon engaging "histories, ideologies, cultures, personalities, race, gender, class, and age differences, as well as situational contingencies" (Harrison, 2003, pg. 65). Whether or not travellers are cognizant of all of these forces is questionable. Studies, most of which have focused on middle-class travellers, have found that these individuals are often well aware of their middle class, privileged status that afford them the opportunity to take a break from their everyday lives to travel and acquire "cultural capital". Travelling.to a foreign destination and exploring other parts of the world, is a means of escaping the ordinary, one that is, in part, intriguing and permissible because travellers have the option of returning to a safe place when they so choose. However, there is often a failure to make the connection between their ability to travel to foreign destinations and the colonial histories that made these experiences possible (ibid). Little thought is given to the history attached to their privileged status as a traveller and even less thought is given to how stereotypes based on this history continue to be reinforced and perpetuated to this day, particularly in relation to the tourist experience. Many travellers fail to make the connection between cheap holidays and touristic fantasies and the forces that produce and make these available for international consumption; they often neglect to consider how cheap labour, much of which is performed by women, provides the opportunities for cheap vacations. Whether through sex work, childcare, cleaning, or serving, these types of "feminine" labour are cheap and comprise the backbone of the tourist industry. 1 The concept of travel and tourism , and how it is understood and perceived by both the traveller and the host, is intriguing. Many travellers are attracted to foreign destinations located in the geographical south by the allure of pristine beaches, lush tropical forests, and authentic cultural experiences. These elements are perceived as exciting because they are markedly different than those experienced by the traveller on a daily basis, and reinforce the idea that the traveller is indeed on a vacation.