(S)Expectations Abroad: Male Traveler Interactions with Southeast Asian Economies

Interacting with locals is a highlight of the tourism experience; however, these interactions may be accompanied by unsolicited propositions for the traveler to participate in the sex industry. Through the lens of Thailand’s largely visible sex industry, this work addresses issues of tourism and travel intertwined with the sex industry in greater Southeast Asia. Governments, a variety of businesses and individuals benefiting financially from a burgeoning sex tourism industry encourage persistence of a viable local sex trade. Although subtleties exist between human trafficking, the sex industry, and sex tourism, each can be intertwined. This article provides an overview of the Southeast Asian sex industry followed by my (Elliot Glotfelty) personal experience witnessing child sex trafficking during an otherwise normal tourist excursion in Vientiane, Laos. During the drive back from the early evening trip, my driver offered to join me for a beer and made stops at a karaoke bar and beer shop, which turned out to be thinly veiled brothels. Having worked on human trafficking research in Thailand during the prior months, I recognized the situation into which I had stumbled. I was soon encouraged to purchase sex from multiple women and girls and therefore given an unexpected insight into local interaction with sex establishments. I was clear that I did not want to partake/buy anyone and extracted myself as soon as possible to get back to my guesthouse. My driver entered these spaces and seemed to know some of the girls inside and treated the situation with casualness. Local buyers of sex, such as my driver, are largely responsible for perpetuation of sex economies, though tourists have historically driven and remain important sources of income for many individuals, including businesses not directly associated with the sex industry. The goal of this article is to bring more awareness to child/human sexual exploitation and how tourists, specifically men, interact with the economies where it is prevalent. Focus on male buyers of sex throughout this piece is not intended to imply that women do not buy sex or engage in sex tourism. Recommendations for ethical tourism practices and possible policy interventions are provided at the end of the article