UNIT 9 SOCIAL IMPACTS OF TOURISM II

Structure
9.0 Objectives
9.1 Introduction
9.2 What is Sex Tourism?
9.3 Volume
9.4 Reasons
9.5 Remedial Measures
9.6 Gambling
9.7 Drugs
9.8 Let Us Sum Up
9.9 Clues to Answers
9.10 Annexures

9.0 OBJECTIVES
After reading this Unit you will be able to:
know about sex tourism in Asia,
know about reasons and volume,
learn about the various remedial measures undertaken to curb it, and
know about tourism related gambling and use of drugs.

9.1 INTRODUCTION
Sex Tourism is the dark side of the global phenomenon of tourism. It forms an important aspect of the
itinerary of the western tourists who travel to Asia, particularly to South-East Asia. Every day we read
about the benefits of tourism, its income and employment potential, its ability to bridge the gap
between the rich and the poor, its potential to overcome uneven development in backward regions of
the world. Above all, its contribution to the balance of payments and foreign exchange earnings for
the decolonised and thir d world countries that must enter the capitalist mainstream if they are to make
the transition to the 21st century. However, not much attention is given to the negative social impacts
in areas like sex tourism and gambling, etc.
In this Unit an attempt has been made to familiarise you with the negative social impacts of tourism.
The Unit first discusses sex tourism as regards is volume, reasons and impact. Further, its deals with
gambling and drugs and goes on to suggest some remedial measures. In this Unit, we are also giving
in Annexure the resolutions against sexual exploitation of children by the leading Tourism Industry
Organisations.

9.2 WHAT IS SEX TOURISM?

The World Tourism Organisation and the World Travel and Tourism Council have made
presentatio ns to captive audiences on the Vision 2020, which emphasises the boom in tourism, once
liberalisation and the free market system can make the problem of numbers disappear. This boom is
said to be particularly beneficial for women and first time employment seekers. They talk about
infrastructure, open skies, and the free flow of money and goods. They never talk about the trafficking
in women and young girls from Myanmar and Yunan to Thailand, from Nepal and the North East of
India to Mumbai and Kolkata, to Japan and Europe as dancers, entertainers and sex workers, as mail
order brides or as domestic servants. They also maintain a silence on the packages which offer men
with low incomes in Europe and America an opportunity to act like a King on a sex tour to Asia.
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Perhaps the greatest cover is still to be lifted on paedophilia, sex tourism that exploits young children,
both girls and boys as commodities.
Sex tourism is a purely physical encounter in which the partner is no more than an animated
object. It puts the relationship between the guests and the hosts purely on a commercial basis in
which even the bodies of certain sections of the host population become commodities to be
bought and sold. Many men choose an Asian girl for such encounters because no verbal
communication is possible. All human attributes like name, values, family, history are obliterated to
cover up the identity of the girl. The pidgin English/German/French/Japanese conversation through
which sex workers in tourist destinations try to establish a relationship only helps to assuage the guilt
of the sex tourist who can then feel that the satisfaction of his physical urge is also helping the girl
fulfil her economic obligations. For sex tourists, a trip to Asia is an opportunity to have a good time.
Sun, sea, sand and sexual services are the backdrop to the definition of a good time. The
dehumanising nature of sex tourism is further increased where the sexual object is a child. But, as one
scholar remarked, much of the recent attention given by commercial media to sex tourism has not
arisen because of any new-found concern for the dis-empowering nature of tourism prostitution rather
it has emerged because of the spread of AIDS. Therefore, current concern with sex tourism does not
reflect a discovery of relationship between gender issues and tourism development, but lis instead
often regarded as a health concern. (C. Michael Hall, 1996; 265).
The sex tourism is often promoted in the same way as gastronomy, which has become an important
attribute of a tourist destination. The food metaphor is essential in constructing the image of a
connoisseur, the one who seeks an authentically exotic experience and many descriptions of women
for sale use food metaphors like a piece of cake. Women, in tourism are also constructed as the
symbolic bearers of the nation (McClintock, 1995) and much of destination promotion features
young, attractive and enticing women. The air hostess is a well known symbolic representation of the
identity of a nation with its women. Consuming women thus embodies the act of consuming the
destination.
For sex tourism to survive, the consumption of womens (and childrens) bodies must allow men to
construct themselves as men, as well as men of a certain class, of a certain nationality. It must also
help in the establishment of the concept of performative identity (Judith Butler, 1990), which denies
subjectivity and identity to the person whose body is so consumed. The underlying assumption is that
both the man and the woman (or child) are using the sexual transaction for class advancement. This is
the so-called voluntary participation of the subject and object and object in sex tourism. The money
transaction makes them both equal. However, in practice sex tourism is a process that is predicated on
difference in gender, class and nation.
How does this process of differentiation takes place? The reason for the privilege of tourism and its
rapid growth and legitimacy lies in the significance of play as the liminal site of happiness, rather than
work, the site of stress. In the sociology of tourism the concept of play has been expanded to include
crossing the threshold of acceptable behaviour and aspirations, to achieve re-creation (of the self) so
that through tourism the tourist transforms himself through self-fulfilment which is often synonymous
with self-indulgence. Such extension does not take into account economic realities, cultures and social
identities. The character of mainstream tourism is thus that of an escape. Even though motiv ation is
highly subjective and difficult to define because there are a complex of attractions that operate in
tourism demand, 56% of Western tourists and more recently Japanese tourists are motivated by the
escape factor. Package tours to cheap destinations have made the world accessible to those with
limited experience and money. It has extended the home environment into the foreign destination so
that the tourist will not have to face the consequences of their own narrow view of the world.
Who is a sex tourist? An appropriate definition, based on the kind of advertisements that appear in
special magazines and through word of mouth, is a man who is going through a mid life crisis, who
has been disenchanted with his enjoyment of life due to feminism and womens liberation
rhetoric; a man who is tired of taking a politically correct position on his sexual preferences
because of social pressure. A sex tourist can be a worker, a professional or a manager, but all of
them have one thing in common: they want to fe el like real men.
For sex tourists to be real men harmony with nature is needed. They consider the Asian women as real
women who live in harmony with nature. San Diego tour operator gives this reality to his customers.

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Organised sex tours have been advertised in Australia, France, Japan, Germany, Norway, Sweden,
Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States of America. The growth of sex tours prompted
the United Nations, which had proposed the Convention of the Rights of the Child, to ask WTO to
investigate the issue. The WTO set up a committee of experts in 1994 and defined sex tourism as
Tourism which has as its primary purpose the effecting of a commercial sexual relationship. It
has now recommended a ban on child sex tourism. However, it has not developed any guidelines on
how this ban is to be implemented.
It has been observed that in countries like India it is the poorer foreigner who comes to the backward
states to take advantage of the exchange rate, and such tourists focus on how to maximise their
dollars. Their interaction with local communities and people is much closer and often leads to sex
tourism and sexual relationships. There is a great likelihood that this tourist is from the working class
or lower income groups amongst executives or professionals. Trade Unions and NGOs in the field of
tourism as well as womens organisations must study the demand side and guidelines have to be
developed to implement the ban.
Another observation is that in India the sex workers are not necessarily local women but migrant sex
workers at the lower level. Recent disclosures have indicated that local women from a higher social
status do operate as sex workers under front organisations like ice cream parlours and beauty parlours.
Sex tourism takes place in communities, localities as well as in hotels and on the street and not only in
designated red light districts. Thus the supply side is also a serious concern for the social workers to
work on.
Case studies have shown that the quality tourists do not have a long stay in India and at a destination a
tour will not exceed 24-48 hours. It is the budget tourist who comes to the backward states to take
advantage of the exchange rate, and such tourists often have an overbearing attitude to local people
and cultures. They also come with the impression that the sexual mores are not affected by monogamy
or Christian ethics. These are the tourists who approach the local population with hostility, a lack of
appreciation, for their culture and life style. They bully them over payment and participate in sex
tourism. The sex workers are not necessarily local women but migrant women from neighbouring
states or neighbouring countries. The age of the sex worker is also coming down, with the AIDS
epidemic being studied in India. The Convention of the Rights of the Child has stated that a child is
defined as one who is under 18 years of age. To bypass this restriction, many countries have covertly
defended prostitution by determining an age of consent, which has now reduced to 12 years. Sources
also indicate that the upper grade of hotels have their own resource base for sex tourism, linked by
mobile phones. In some cases sex tourism is related to drug peddlers who are looking for the long stay
tourist at cheap destinations. Young girls are used as couriers and often get drawn into the sex trade.

9.3 VOLUME
It is difficult to accurately measure the volume of sex-oriented tourism because of its informal and
generally illegal character. It is operated and controlled by the underworld with often willing consent
and even connivance by the police, other authorities and politicians. The society in general also
attempts to forget its existence and in some form or the other gets involved in the cover-up. The
writers and journalists also shy away from portraying it due to social stigma attached to it, and for
undermining the national sentiments. It has, therefore, become the unacknowledged great underbelly
of tourism.
According to one estimate, an alarmingly large percentage of the male tourists from the developed
countries like USA, Western Europe, Japan and Australia visit the Asian countries can be categorised
as sex tourists because the main purpose of their travel is to indulge in sexual entertainment. Of the
160 paedophiles and sex tourists arrested upto 1994, 25% were American, 18% German, 14%
Australian, 12% British and 6% French. Seven Japanese also feature in the list. Estimates of child
prostitutes in South Asia, though difficult to come by, place the number for Bangladesh at 10,000, for
India 400,000 500,000, for Pakistan 40,000 and for Sri Lanka 30,000. These estimates are not
comparable since they cover a period from 1985 to 1992, yet they give some idea of the volume
involved.

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There is also different trend in different countries so far as child prostitution is concerned. So, while it
is 90% female in Thailand, it is 90% male in Sri Lanka and 60% male in Philippines.
At many destinations the rate of growth of tourist arrivals ranges from 15% per year in season to 9.6%
in the off-season. This growth rate is well above the international average. Given this growth, the
proportion of those coming for sex tourism, particularly child sex tourism is likely to grow, although
data is not explicit on the numbers involved in the sex tourism trade. Generally, the 14-19 age group
predominates in the age profile of the sex worker.
Most of these girls are procured through trafficking, which explains the high concentration of
migrants. Goa has reported many cases of paedophilia but again the proportion is not known. The
National Commission for Women, and its state counterparts are just beginning to estimate the size of
the trade, which is still very much underground. In the Metro cities there are well identified red
light districts, but in the smaller towns and the backward states, particularly the rural hinterlands this
is not the case.
Sex workers in the red light districts are beginning to organise themselves into sex workers unions.
Many central unions do not recognise the term sex worker and do not consider such women as
legitimate workers. Womens organisations and governmental institutions are only now beginning to
come face to face with this issue, but they do not have a unified perspective. The issue of paedophilia
is also being recognised as a prostitution issue only in recent years.
In many cases, however, the concerns expressed against sex tourism emanate from the threat of AIDS
rather than any social concern.

9.4 REASONS
Poverty, gender inequality and the craving of the state to earn quick foreign exchange have led to the
phenomenon of sex tourism. The move towards globalisation and consequent integration in the world
economy has further strengthened this trend. The weaker sections of Asian societies, particularly the
women and children, bear the burnt and are compelled to sell their bodies to help support their
families. The point that the economically and socially weaker sections are more prominent in the flesh
trade is attested by the fact that in Philippines most of the sex workers catering to the tourists come
from poorer regions. Likewise, in Taiwan most of them belong to socially and politically weaker
group. In Thailand, the deprived and poor rural families from the north-east and northern provinces
supply the bulk of female and child sex-workers to the cities.
The sexual abuse and exploitation of children is a world-wide phenomenon. Several studies have been
attempted to understand the extent and severity of the phenomenon, emphasising different aspects
relating to the travel trade, psychological deviance or socio-economic facets. There is sufficient
evidence as gathered from organisations working with children, as well as from government sources
to demonstrate that there is extensive exploitation of children in India. The evidence even suggests the
existence of systematic and organised patterns in child exploitation.
Invariably the studies pertaining to India have highlighted factors like poverty, unemployment and
mass illiteracy as push factors, forcing children to indulge in prostituting. The pull factors include
tourism, sexual perversion and consumerism, as highlighted by various studies. However, these
studies are not based on systematic data and hence suffer from methodological shortcomings.
Consequently, the conclusions arrived at are open to questions.
The leisured rich wander at wills, in fantasy islands of luxury in the international hotels or in enclaves
of privilege in international resorts, in the midst of social and environmental degradation, to be served
by those whose lands and cultures have been appropriated. Tour Operators and Travel Agents
facilitate their wanderings, with newer, more fantastic and greater value for money opportunities.
Governments commit money and support to the growth of tourism and turn a blind eye to its negative
impacts. Sex Tourism always takes place somewhere else, and not in ones own country.
Tourism liberates those who are free from want, having profited from the movement of money and
goods, as humanity has been disenfranchised. The Globalisation project is therefore, a selective and
intensely ideological process where the perpetuation of privilege, the abuse of the earths resources
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and the exploitation of the people of poor countries is the supreme civilisational goal of the global
culture. It seeks to break down the very barriers that have ensured, at the very least, the survival of the
ravaged and uprooted people who live on the margins of the free market.

9.5 REMEDIAL MEASURES

The criminal activities encouraged under the rubric of tourism entertainment have included, apart
from Casinos and other forms of Gambling, the sex tours. To describe these activities as criminal
indicates an ethical code that is being universalised through the WTOs Code of Ethics. Similarly the
issue of child labour, particularly in the unorganised sector providing services to tourists, has also
become an issue for activists in the developing countries. These issues have been raised under the
European Union initiative on social clauses for sustainable consumption and production. The World
Trade Organisation has also indicated support for such social issues through the linking of the social
clause of trade issues. Since Tourism is an item of trade between countries, it has also included the
essence of the social clause in the Code of Ethics.
Several international NGOs and United Nations Organisations have raised the issue of child sex
tourism and child labour in the service sector, including tourism. ECPAT (End Child Prostitution and
Trafficking) has led the anti-child sex tourism movement, which has borne good results. The WTO in
its session held in Cairo (Egypt) in 1995 adopted the resolution reflecting all such activity as
exploitative and subversive to the fundamental objectives of tourism in promoting peace, human
rights, mutual understanding, respect for all peoples and cultural, and sustainable development. It
also condemned the child sex tourism, considering it a violation of Article 34 of the Convention on
the Rights of the Child (United Nations, 1939), and requiring strict legal action by tourist sending and
receiving countries.
Similarly, UFTAA (Universal Federation of Travel Agents Association) criticised this phenomenon
and asked its members to pledge never to promote or assist in the promotion of programmes, tours or
travel whose purpose is the sexual exploitation of children.
The IFTO (International Federation of Tour Operators/Condemned all forms of sexual exploitation
of children and demanded the introduction and use of extra territorial legislation which enables
sexual abusers of children to be punished outside of the country where the act occurred. The CSD-7
agreed to implement the ban on child sex tourism as well as to create awareness on the issue by
encouraging airlines to show in -flight videos to sensitise their passengers. In the past few years the
conviction of British homosexuals in cases relating to molestation and unnatural sex with children in
the Philippines, Thailand and Sri Lanka have made news. Recently the Delhi Police arrested a Swiss
couple who had been visiting India for the past 10 years to pick up street children to make
pornographic videos for resale in the West.
Hoteliers have agreed to ban the practice of child sex tourism within their jurisdiction. However, they
have just made a beginning in this field. The Green Globe Certification programme includes this ban
as one of the items for granting certification. In the National Aids Control Organisation, attempts have
been made to collect data on child prostitutes and the figures is at 40% of the total population of
prostitutes. In South India the number of male child prostitutes operating on the beaches is estimated
to be 7000. In interviews these children have indicated that they service from 3-7 clients per night.
Their clients belong to all age groups, classes and nationalities.
The Indian Government however does not like to link the issue of child prostitution to tourism, since
they believe that it will affect the social sanction given to tourism development. The Touris m Industry
in India also does not recognise this issue and it does not figure in any of their demand charters. The
ILO report in 1996 warned that tourists seeking boy prostitutes were flocking to Goa. Business was
brisk and those in the business were mentioning the competition with Bangkok. The media did not
cover the case of Freddy Peats who had been arrested for sexually abusing 150 boys between the ages
of 6 to 12 years, in his orphanage on Colva Beach. Peats was released on bail, because the police
claimed there were insufficient legal grounds to put him behind bars.
In 1987, Spartacus, a gay magazine, had listed Goa as a sex destination. The Childrens Park in
Panjim was cited as a good pick up point. Interpol also believes that Goa is a logistically visible place
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for child prostitution. Since the tightening of the law in U.K., Germany and France, Asia has become
the major centre for paedophiles. India has a large floating population of migrants children and an
indifferent police force. Although the Government considers sex tourism as media hype, an effort has
been made to clean up the beaches. In 1990, a Tourist Police Force was set up with 34 constables and
four officers to comb the coast for touts, drug dealers and petty criminals. However, they had no
statutory powers to book the offenders.

CHILD SEX TOURISM NO PLACE TO HIDE

The sexual abuse of children is one of the lowest crimes possible Senator Vanstone, Minister for Justice and
Customs said today. The latest trends and issues paper from the Australian Institute of Criminology highlights
successes under the Federal Governments Child Sex Tourism legislation.
We now have a number of successful convictions for offences committed by Australians overseas under the
Child Sex Tourism laws. Senator Vanstone said.
It was necessary to give these laws extra-territorial application so that child sex offenders in Australia can not
escape justice.
The Lee case in Western Australia saw a defendant imprisoned for 12 years. We believe this is the heaviest
sentence imposed anywhere in the world for extra-territorial child sex offences.
Prosecutions do not only involve offences against children in developing countries. In the Harman case the
offences were committed against the defendants 18 month old niece and 3 year old nephew in the United States
at their parents home.
It is not necessary to collect evidence from overseas in some circumstances. In the Pearce case the defendant
was successfully prosecuted for two offences on the basis of photographs in his possession and his own
admissions.
In the Lee case the police were unable to locate the children involved in Cambodia. Photographs of Lee
engaged in sexual activities with children formed a major part of the evidence. Though the photographs did not
show Lees face, forensic pathologists were able to match fingers in the photograph with Lees fingerprints.

It is not necessary to directly engage in sexual activities with children overseas. The Ruppert case involved
letters which urged local adults in Ghana to train female children between the ages of 4 and 10 to engage in
sexual acts with adults.
Prosecutions are not easy under this legislation. Investigators and prosecutors face difficulties. It is satisfying
that we are making people pay for these awful crimes.

The paper recommends that court processes under this legislation need to be more sensitive to the needs of
child witnesses. The Federal Government is currently examining options to improve procedures in courts for
child witnesses in such cases.
The media has an essential role to play in increasing public awareness of the child sex tourism laws so that they
can report offenders to the police. In the Lee case the initial arrest was made after the offender bragged to his
workmates about his activities in Cambodia, including showing photographs of himself engaged in sexual
activities with children.

Issuing denials are one of the approaches to allow the issue of sex tourism to be swept under the
carpet. However, activism on this problem is creating an awareness that refuses to let it be swept
away. The link between denial and income earning capacity is very clear. Denial is a practiced
approach not only of Government but also of the consumer. For example, when the travel trade
promoted Sex Tourism to Thailand, neither the Government nor the consumer took any notice of it. It
was only after the AIDS epidemic hit Asia in a big way that sex tourism and child prostitution were
accepted on the agenda. Goa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have had several cases of sex tourism and child
sex tourism reported. NGOs have presented case studies to show the links between tourism and
prostitution. Rajasthan has also shown the link between prostitution, tourism and AIDS in the
Jaisalmer region. In Kolkata and Mumbai the prostitution and Trafficking of women and girls from
neighbouring countries has also become a point of discussion between governments. However, these
measures are not sufficient what is required is mass awareness and education at destinations for both
tourists as well as hosts. This has to be backed up by regulations and laws. The tourism industry also
has to act effectively in this regard.

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It should, however, be recognised that the phenomenon of prostitution had existed before the era of
mass tourism. Although the growth of tourism has enhanced this problem, its origins are rooted in the
anti-women attitudes of the given societies. In such cases, tourism may be considered not so much as
a barometer but as a magnifier of existing social relations. The prevalence of prostitution in tourist
resorts is a reflection both of local social structures and of the sexual attitudes and taboos that operate
in the generating societies. The same can be said of the images of bikni-clad women and compliant,
often Asian, airhostesses presented in some tourism promotional literature. They reflect much wider
sexist and racialist attitudes. (Frances Brown, 1998; 72).

Check Your Progress - 1

1) What do you understand by sex tourism? Which section of the population is the most affected by
it?
.
.
.
.

2) Describe the remedial measures undertaken to curb the sexual exploitation of children due to
growth in tourism.
.
.
.
.

9.6 GAMBLING
Casinos have been used to promote destinations all over the world. However, there are aspects in this
form of gambling that have links with underworld and criminal control. There is also the issue of
equal opportunity in gambling. America encourages its indigenous population to run gambling games
and parlours as a source of income. These are small-scale efforts. The organised mafia has always
controlled gambling and this is a source of its power and income. Gambling has always been
associated with prostitution and crime. However, Third World Governments seeking to promote
tourism have always wanted to introduce Casinos under the plea that international tourists have no
evening entertainment in their countries, and cabarets and casinos would give them something to do.
In India, Goa was the first state to introduce Casinos based on slot machines. Hotels in Kathmandu
were the first in the South Asia region to establish Casinos and incentives for tours to Nepal included
free Casino chips worth Rs.1000/-. Activists have fought the tourism departments efforts to develop
on shore and off shore Casinos in Goa and highlighted the links between gambling and organised
crime. Recently off shore Casino was established on board a ship to be berthed in the harbour at
Vasco to ensure that activists do not disrupt the Governments attempts to increase income from
tourism. However, these attempts to introduce gambling as a part of the economic benefit of tourism
are likely to face opposition. Although all societies do encourage this attraction of trying to win
enough money to realise your dreams, the form of gambling and its organisation at tourist destinations
encourages criminality. Yet, we have countries like Macau who generate 60% of their revenue
through gambling and it is a prime destination for gamblers.
The soc ial impact of gambling on local communities is also not studied enough. In a survey conducted
in two towns in Massachusetts, USA, to gauge the impact of hotel-casinos, it was found that there was
no consensus on the positive impact of gambling. The negative impacts of gambling had far greater
consensus. It was believed that the character of the towns would change and there would be an
increase in drugs and prostitution. There were doubts regarding the ability of the government to

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regulate gambling. The fear that their towns could turn into Nevada or Atlantic City, which are
nothing more than gambling strips was very real.
In Nevada, gambling and tourism are the states major employers. The State earns its major revenue
from gambling and its major source of out of state revenues. 36% of revenues in 1981 were from
gambling and tourism and 26% of employment was in these sectors. In 1983, Nevada shifted its
tourism policy from gambling to scenic and nature-based attractions. This was in response to
competition from the legalising of casino gambling in other centres in the United States.
In 1983, a referendum approved the setting up of legalised casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Funds from Casino revenues were used for senior citizens programmes and for handicapped persons.
This was a part of the Casino Control Act of 1977. Employment increased by four times. This off set
the rapid decline in jobs in manufacture, wholesale and retail trade. Local tourism also increased.
However, there was a pressure for parking and access as Casinos brought in 23 million visitors.
Property values also increased by more than four times. The more serious problem was the de-skilling
of the population, which led to unemployment. There was a greater demand for public services like
police and fire services. There was concern for keeping Casinos away from the control of organised
crime. There was also concern on traditional attitudes towards compulsive gambling would become
more tolerant.
In these two cases the situation regarding gambling raised two questions. The first was the need for
state governments to raise money from gambling revenues to ease their financial problems and the
second was the impact of legalising on corruption and the control of the underworld. The third issue
was the potential of gambling to increase the potential of tourism. Where there is no pre-existing
demand for such stimulation of tourism, the respondents did not approve of gambling. They also felt
that revenues from gambling would not keep up with the demand for the increase in public services. If
casinos were to be set up in non-urban environments, there would be an increase in land prices and
would damage the character of the area. In urban areas it was felt that social problems would increase,
particularly for low -income groups.
Three consequences were identified by the United States survey. Legalising of gambling would make
it a more common activity amongst larger number of people. Many could gamble improvidently.
There could be an over supply of Casinos which could weaken the industry. This would increase the
possibility of the entry of criminal elements. There would be pressure on legislative, judicial,
executive and administrative authorities.
Both Nevada and Atlantic City suffer high crime rates and other social ills. The negative sociological
impact could be due both to gambling and to the concentration of tourism.
Malaysia has promoted gambling at a Casino at the Genting Highlands resort. It is a 24-hour gambling
business, with several hotels and an amus ement park. However, the main attraction is the gambling,
which attracts tourists to the resort. Working people play the slot machines but there are other games
with higher stakes. The local population outnumbers the tourists. In Europe, Austria is promoting
Casinos to revive its tourism. Germany and France have some of the oldest Casinos operating at
resorts, which also have their attractions like a spa or other tourist activity. However, gambling
remains the key element in the resorts reputation and attraction. Mass Tourism does not gravitate to
these up market areas. It is drawn to the cheaper and more accessible slot machine type of Casino
found in third world countries. The social impact of such tourist resorts on attitudes and the fortunes
of the working people have proved to be negative.

9.7 DRUGS
When Mass Tourism began to overtake elite travel after the Second World War, most travel occurred
between the United States and Europe. By the mid-80s, 8% of all tourists were North Americans and
Europeans travelling to the Third World. By the mid-80s, this figure had increased yo 17%. Third
World officials became avid tourism promoters. Tourists replaced bananas in the export trade; Hiltons
replaced sugar mills in industry. Multinationals converted their la ndholdings into tourist resorts.
Although this movement was a part of the class stratification between the bourgeoisie and the petit-
bourgeoisie. In terms of tourism, it included the drop outs.

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Dropouts could be of two types, those who had intellectualised themselves into an alternative lifestyle
and consumption pattern that differentiated them from their major class classification and those who
differentiated themselves in terms of greater authenticity and difference. Between the 60s and the
80s there was this great movement of people, primarily young and between the study and work
continuum, who took to the big trip as a part of their adaptation to life. This trip was rough, to unusual
places in the Third World, like Goa, which were not discovered as a part of the traditional image of a
tourist destination. The trip included beaches, mountains and oriental cities, which absorbed these
anonymous armies of back packers and over Landers. The key attraction was the easy availability of
drugs.
In India an interesting example is the freedom with which Opium and Bhang were grown and traded.
As Mundy reports there were many fields of poppie of which they make Opium, called here
aphim by this country people, much used for many purposes. Certain communities, who conducted
trade along the southern silk route and the trade with Gujarat, were forbidden to take any substance
that created Nasha, or inebriation. Since liquor and tobacco could be easily recognised by the smell,
they used Opium to overcome this taboo.
In Himachal, on the road to the Rohtang Pass lies the village Bhang, where marijuana is openly
grown. Manali has now become an important drug-trading centre. Many international syndicates
operate from here. Many of their countries have married local women and live here. They are
accepted because they make big pay-offs to the local villagers. Drug related crimes are reported and
the local residents feel that their safety and security are threatened with the presence of the drug
Mafia. No visible efforts have been made to flush out these operatives. The old Opium route that went
over the passes from Ladakh to Yarkland and Tibet is commemorated by the Opium customs house
outside Leh. Old timers recall the encouragement given to the Opium trade by the British authorities
although the trade was in existence even earlier.
The drug culture which began with the children and the easy riders of the post war west, extended to
other more conformist groups of youth. Soft drugs like Hashish were common at Campuses and
became more acceptable after the Vietnam War, where soldiers had taken the escape route of drugs
from the horrors of a war they could not understand. The discovery of a big market for hard drugs
amongst the disoriented sections of the middle class soon ident ified the golden triangle of drug
production in South East Asia and the Afghan war also used drug trafficking to raise funds for the
overthrow of the regime in Kabul. In North Africa, the souks were flush with drugs and the
Columbian drug lords were already in command of the North America market.
As legislation on drug possession and trafficking became tighter in North America and Europe, drug
addicts began to move closer to the source of production. In these countries, local laws regarding the
peddling of drugs were lax. As the long drawn case of Charles Shobhraj shows, the will to fight this
crime was weak. It was thus that South Asia and South East Asia, where the consumption of less
harmful hallucinatory drugs was culturally acceptable, became important elements of the hippie
trail. With the advancement of the hippie tourist, a romantic image of the drug taking westerner was
buttressed with the links to transcendental mediation and the Himalayan Ashrams where drugs were
as much of an attraction as spiritualism.
Existentialist writers like Kerouac lionised the nirvana movement, which then became a counter-
culture movement, resisting the material values of western society. The sense of community and the
communes of tourists then created their own itinerary of the best places in the world to go to for
instant nirvana through hallucinatory drugs. Tourism then drew together the worst in local societies
and the hippies into a linkage that led from the psychedelic 60s to the hard drug of today, where the
reports of tourist deaths due to an over dose of drugs is not uncommon.
Rock singers were another group to encourage the image of drug-induced pleasure. Bob Geldof, an
Irish Rock singer, who became well known through Ban Aid and Live Aid in 1985, when he raised
millions of dollars for the Ethiopian famine victims, writes about the drug scene in Bangkok in his
biography Is That It?. He writes of the bars, the girls and the drugs. As he says show me
something that makes me sick and sad for us all, show me something where the other side of us is
made real, except we dont have to live it or die it.
With the development of inter governmental drug control and anti-trafficking protocols, it is likely
that the trade in drugs will be pushed under ground and the mafia will control its distribution
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throughout the world with renegade governments allowing the production of drugs. Since tourism is
an activity that encourages the tourist to cross the threshold of liminality, to live in a temporary world
where day to day norms do not operate, there will always be this link between the enhancement of the
experience of the other through the use of substances which increase consciousness. This super-
awareness is sought in many ways and one form is to seek the world of drugs.
It is worth mentioning here that many governments have started sensitising their citizens travelling
abroad against the drug abuse. For example, The Canadian Traveller Resource Centres web site
reminds Canadians travellers about not to be caught with drugs abroad. It reads:
Drug Awareness
Dont Get Caught With Drugs
It should be obvious dont use, buy, sell or transport illegal drugs while abroad. Its just not
worth the risk.
Lets talk about something thats not so apparent. Canadian travellers should take precautions
to avoid being implicated in a drug-related crime. In other words, be wary of the company
you keep. Also avoid being made an unwitting victim of drug traffickers. Young women and
seniors are often at greater risk of being targeted.
Illegal drugs arent the only kind that can get you into trouble. In some countries, medications
that are sold over -the-counter in Canada are illegal, or require a prescription. When travelling
with any medication, whether prescribed or over-the-counter, taking a few added precautions
can ensure your trip is hassle-free.
This site further has true confessions from Canadian citizens caught abroad with drugs:
Shame, Anger, Depression, Guilt, Pain
These five words keep cropping up in the stories you are about to read. Five Canadians
imprisoned abroad for drug-related offences have agreed to share their thoughts and feelings
about their arrest and incarceration. These are all true stories. Only the names have been
changed.
Throughout the five stories, you may notice some common threads. David, Joanne, Guy,
Christine, Anna and Nadine learned these lessons the hard way.
Travelling outside Canada? Being caught with drugs or trying to cross the border with drugs
in a foreign country any foreign country could mean a stiff fine, a long prison sentence,
hard labour or even the death penalty.
Dont carry anything, including parcels, gifts or luggage, across borders or through customs
for other people under any circumstances.
Dont bow to the temptation to make some easy cash by smuggling drugs. Chances are youll
get caught. The drug carrier or mule is almost always the loser. Being Canadian wont get
you any special treatment if youre caught using, buying, selling or smuggling drugs in a
foreign country.
This is an appreciative effort and more countries should come forward in this regard.

Check Your Progress - 2

1) In what ways are gambling and use of drugs related to tourism?

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2) What measures would you propose to rid the tourism of the negative effects described in thisUnit.
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9.8 LET US SUM UP

In this Unit you have read how the phenomenon of sex tourism has developed in many Asian
countries. Although, the prostitution had been a feature of the societies the world over, the unbridled
growth of tourism has aggravated this problem and rendered the commercial sexual exploitation of
children and women all the worse. The situation has become so bad that many organisations involved
in promoting tourism like WTO, HOTREC, IAT A, UFTAA, etc. have raised their voices and passed
resolutions against this menace. Many governments and local authorities have also taken measures
against this social crime.
The use of gambling and promotion of drugs for tourism promotion also reflect the negative sides of
tourism. These have given rise to many social problems. In the host societies encouraged the growth
of mafia and underworld who control these operations. Strong measures should be taken against such
developments which disturb the local population and create problems.

9.9 CLUES TO ANSWERS

Check Your Progress - 1

1) Read Secs. 9.2 and 9.4.

2) Refer Sec. 9.5.

Check Your Progress - 2

1) Gambling has been used to promote tourism destinations all over the world. The titled laws on
drug positioning and trafficking in the west forced the addicts to move closer to the source as in
the Asian countries. Read Secs. 9.6 and 9.7 to answer this question.
2) Read whatever articles you can find and also find the web for this topic and put forward your
views regarding the same.

9.10 ANNEXURES

Annexure 1 WTO Statement on the Prevention of Organised Sex Tourism

[Adopted by the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organisation at its
eleventh session Cairo (Egypt), 17-22 October 1995 (Resolution A/RES/338 (XII)]
Whereas the WTO Tourism Bill of Rights and Tourist Code (Sofia, 1985) calls on States and
individuals to prevent any possibility of using tourism to exploit others to prostitution purposes:
Having consulted international and national organisations concerned, both governmental and non-
governmental, as well as the representatives of the tourism sector;
Considering the preoccupation of the international community over the persistence of organised sex
tourism which, for the purpose of this statem ent, can be defined as trips organised from within the
tourism sector, or from outside this sector but using its structures and networks, with the primary
purpose of effecting a commercial sexual relationship by the tourist with residents at the destination;
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Aware of the grave health as well as social and cultural consequence of this activity The General
Assembly
Rejects all such activity as exploitative and subversive to the fundamental objectives of tourism
in promoting peace, human rights, mutual understanding, respect for all peoples and cultures, and
sustainable development;
Denounces and condemns in particular child sex tourism, considering it a violation of Article 34
of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (United Nations, 1989), and requiring strict legal
action by tourist sending and receiving countries;
Requests governments of both tourist sending and receiving countries to
1) Mobilise their competent departments, including National Tourism Administrations, to
undertake measures against organised sex tourism;
2) Gather evidence or organised sex tourism and encourage education of concerned government
officials and top executives in the tourism sector about the negative consequences of this
activity;
3) Issue guidelines to the tourism sector insisting that it refrains from organising any forms of
sex tourism, and from exploiting prostitution as a tourist attraction;
4) Establish and enforce, where applicable, legal and administrative measures to prevent and
eradicate child sex tourism, in particular through bilateral agreements to facilitate, inter alia,
the prosecution of tourists engaged in any unlawful sexual activity involving children and
juveniles;
5) Assist inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations concerned in taking actin
against organised forms of sex tourism;
6) Appeals to donor countries, aid agencies and other sources of finance to engage in tourism
development projects seeking to enhance and diversify the supply of tourism services at the
destinations affected by sex tourism, so as to foster employment opportunities in the tourism
sector, develop its linkages with other sectors of the national economy, and contribute to
tourisms social and economic sustainability;
7) Commends the tourism companies and tourism industry org anisations, as well as non-
governmental organisations such as ECPAT, which have already undertaken measures against
sex tourism, in particular with respect to the sexual exploitation of children and juveniles;
8) Appeals to the travel trade to
a) Join efforts and cooperate with non-governmental organisations to eliminate organised
sex tourism, at both the origin and destination of travel flows, by identifying and
focussing on the critical points at which this activity can proliferate;
b) Educate staff about the negative consequences of sex tourism, including its impact on the
image of the tourism sector and tourist destinations, and invite staff to find ways to
remove commercial sex services from the tourism offer;
c) Develop and strengthen professional codes of conduct and industry self-regulatory
mechanisms against the practice of sex tourism;
d) Adopt practical, promotional and commercial measures, such as, for example, positive
self-identification of enterprises which refrain from engaging in sex tourism; banning
com mercial sex services, in particular involving children, on the contracted tourism
premises; providing information to travellers about health risks of sex tourism, etc;
e) Warn tourists particularly against engaging in child sex tourism, denouncing its criminal
nature and the manner in which children are forced into prostitution;
f) Encourage the media to assist the tourism sector in its action to uncover, isolate,
condemn and prevent all organised forms of sex tourism;
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Invites countries and their tourism entities to contribute to the World Congress on the Commercial
Sexual Exploitation of Children, organised jointly by the Swedish Government and UNICEF, to be
held in Stockholm, Sweden, in August 1996.

Annexure 2 Declaration against the Sexual Exploitation of Children

HOTREC, the Confederation of the National Association of Hotels, Restaurants, Cafes and similar
establishments in the European Union and European Economic Area,
Observe with great concern that the sexual exploitation of children (prostitution, produc tion of
pornographic material, etc.) is on the increase world-wide;
Recognise that, unfortunately, some child sex abusers may attempt to use hotels as the location
where they commit their crimes.
HOTREC and its member associations,
Condemn the sexual exploitation of children in any form or manner;
to consider measures to prevent the use of their premises for the sexual exploitation of
children;

to consider measures to prevent ease of access to child prostitution or child pornography;

Call upon all nation al governments to take all appropriate measures to effectively eradicate the
sexual exploitation of children;
Support the initiatives called for by the European Parliament in several Resolutions and by the
European Commission in its Communication on combating child sex tourism.
HOTREC and its member associations, however, very much regret the frequent use of precisely the
latter expression child sex tourism. The association of the 3 words child, sex, and tourism is
highly damaging to the image of the tourism industry. Such crimes occur because of child sex abusers
and, unfortunately, they occur in all sorts of circumstances which are not related to tourism activities.

Annexure 3 Final Resolution Condemning Commercial Sexual Exploitation of

Children
WHEREAS the World Congress on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, meeting in
Stockholm in August 1996, drew urgent attention to the growing number of children so exploited;
WHEREAS the Congress also urged a global partnership which would mobilise the business sector,
including the tourism industry, against the use of its networks and establishments for illegal purposes;
The 52 nd Annual General Meeting
SUPPORTS measures by governments to combat such exploitation of children;
ENDORSES the practical measures being taken by the industry to educate staff, inform passengers,
cooperate with government agencies, and establish guidelines covering advertising and doing business
with tour operators and hotels;
APPLAUDS the action taken by airlines and other international travel partners and organisation to
combat the commercial sexual exploitation of children.
For more information on IATA go to http://www.iata.org

Annexure 4 Child Prostitution and Tourism Watch

What is it?
Child Prostitution and Tourism Watch is a task force of tourism industry groups, governments
and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), proposed by the World Tourism Organisation
(WTO) at the Stockholm Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (August
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 1996). Any organisation, company or government taking actions in keeping with the aims of the
Task Force may join it and thus become part of its international campaign.
Aims and Origin
The aims of the international campaign carried out by the Task Force and supported by WTO are
all of the below:
a) prevent
b) uncover
c) isolate
d) eradicate
the exploitation of children in sex tourism.
It is a response to the Agenda for Action adopted by the Stockholm Congress which urged
participants to mobilise the business sector, including the tourism industry, against the use of its
networks and establishments for the commercial sexual exploitation of children, and to promote
better cooperation and encourage the establishment of national and international coalitions to this
effect.
The World Tourism Organisations initiative is based on its tourism policy instrument, The
Statement on the Prevention of Organised Sex Tourism, which was adopted by the General
Assembly in Cairo, Egypt, in October 1995. Before that and especially since the adoption of the
Statement, while governments are taking strong measures against the exploitation of children,
other organisations representing the various parts of the tourism industry have brought the issue to
the attention of their members.
Child Prostitution and Tourism Watch is closely linked to the international campaign carried
out by ECPAT (End Child Prostitution and Trafficking), a Bangkok-based action group with
worldwide scope. ECPAT was instrumental in bringing about the Stockholm Congress. At present
ECPAT is developing its own major data base to monitor the activities of all governments in the
area of commercial sexual exploitation of children.
WTOs commitment to protect children from exploitation in sex tourism is part of the activities
of all inter-governmental organisations concerned, such as, UNICEF, ICPO -Interpol, ILO,
UNESCO, UNAIDS, WHO and other respective organs of the United Nations.
As a result of the Task Force meeting held on 8 March 1997 in Berlin, Germany, in conjunction
with the International Tourism Exchange (ITB), an international logo was adopted to help unite
and highlight the tourism industry struggle against child prostitution. It was ceded to the
international Task Force campaign by the Brazilian Tourist Board EMBRATUR which has been
using it since 5 February 1997.
This logo can be accompanied by any other logo, sign, graphic or public information symbol or
message to identify the organisation using the international logo and to transmit the organisations
own message.
The logo is designed for three major purposes:
1) To identify organisations, companies and establishments actively working to prevent and
eliminate child prostitution. It can, therefore, be used in travel literature, window displays and
any other public places considered to be appropriate for this purpose.
2) To sensitise the staff concerned.
3) To inform travellers, the users of tourism establishments and the public at large of the
campaign.
It is understood that everyone using the international logo should have developed a specific
action, policy, professional code of conduct and other self-regulatory measures conforming to the
aims of the Task Force.
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Purpose of the WTO website
The Child Prostitution and Tourism Watch website is a service of the World Tourism
Organisation to the international community and tourism industry organisations in their struggle
against the exploitation of children in sex tourism.
It is hoped that it can be used for such practical purposes as:
a) To sensitise the public at large and inform it of the international campaign
b) To allow tourism organisations and companies which are not part of the international
campaign to consult on the measures being undertaken by those already involved.
c) To further encourage and monitor the worldwide campaign.

Annexure 5 Child and Travel Agents Charter

UFTAA is an organisation with an international purpose. It has no right to interfere in national
concerns other than through its National Associations.
1) The Members and Affiliates of UFTAA, signatories of the present Charter, pledge to combat the
prostitution of children related to so-called sex tourism and to protect the child victims of such
tourists by

Supporting the measures taken by governments to counter the sexual exploitation of children,
and

Informing their foreign colleagues of the penalties imposed on tourists who commits acts
which involve the use of children for the purposes of sexual gratification.
2) Mindful of the importance of their role in protecting the environment, peo ple, countries and
regions to which they send tourists, the Members and Affiliates of UFTAA, signatories of the
present Charter, pledge to exercise the utmost vigilance with regard to such activities of their
customers as are brought to their attention. The signatory travel agents of this Charter will act
according to the dictates of their conscience and in accordance with the legislation of the countries
concerned.
3) Mindful of the profound mental, moral, social and physical damage caused to the child vic tims of
sex tourism, the Members and Affiliates of UFTAA pledge to give every assistance to the
various organisations, campaigns and charitable associations concerned with the welfare of child
victims of sex tourism to help restore the dignity, physical and mental health of such children.
4) In full agreement with Article 28 (3) of the International Convention of the Rights of the Child,
the Members and Affiliates of UFTAA recommend the fullest cooperation between travel agents
in all countries such that the combat against sex tourism which victimises children is waged on
all fronts and in all countries.
5) The Members and Affiliates of UFTAA pledge never to promote or assist in the promotion of
programmes, tours or travel whose purpose is the sexual exploitation of children.
6) The Members and Affiliates of UFTAA will take care to inform their customers of the
consequences to tourists of the sexual exploitation of children.
7) In accordance with Article 34 of the Convention of the Rights of the Child, the Members and
Affiliates of UFTAA pledge to protect children against all forms of exploitation and sexual
violence attributable to the activities of tourists.

Annexure 6 ECTAA Declaration Against Child Sex Tourism

Noting that the sexual exploitation of children is a growing phenomenon which affects both
industrialised and developing countries.

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Aware that, whereas in industrialised societies child abuse often involves close relatives/
acquaintances of the victims, sex tourism in developing countries is the major vehicle of this
modern form of slavery.
Mindful of the profound physical, mental and psychological trauma caused to the young victims of
sex tourism, and of the disastrous social and public health consequences of child prostitution in
developing tourist countries.
Considering that tourism must contribute to better understanding between different cultures and to
economic development rather than exploitation of the people in the countries of destination.
In full agreement with the Saint-Vincent Declaration of the Protection of Children from Sexual
Exploitation in Tourism, the UFTAA Children and Travel Agents Charter, the World Tourism
Organisations Bill of Rights and Tourist Code, the Declaration and Agenda for Action adopted by the
Stockholm Congress against Commercial Exploitation of Children, the European Parliament
Resolution on Child Abuse, the European Commission Communication for Actions Against Child Sex
Tourism, and supporting the campaigns of ECPAT, UNICEF and others, all the National Associations
of Travel Agents and Tour Operators within the European Union, which are Members or Observers of
ECTAA.
CONDEMN any form of sexual exploitation of children,
PLEDGE never to promote in any way tourist tours to programmes with paedophile purposes,
COMMIT themselves to exclude without delay any member proven to be engaged in sex
tourism,
RECOMMEND to their members to inform their clients in the most appropriate way on the
impact and the dramatic consequences of child prostitution in the countries of destination,
DECLARE their willingness to cooperate with the authorities countering child sex abuse at all
levels and with the various organisations concerned with the welfare of children, to identify
offenders and to assist the victims,
URGE all the Member States to reinforce their judicial cooperation and to adapt their legislation
to criminalize child sex abuse and to introduce extraterritorial prosecution, in accordance with the
Stockholm Declaration.

Annexure 7 Code of Conduct Against the Sexual Exploitation of Children

IFTO and its members condemns all forms of sexual exploitation of children.
IFTO supports the use of proper and effective legislation designed to punish child abusers, both the
perpetrators of sexual acts against children and anyone who seeks to benefit from the sexual
exploitation of children.
Specifically, IFTO supports the introduction and use of extra territorial legislation which enables
sexual abusers of children to be punished outside of the country where the act occurred.
IFTO recommends all tour operators to:
Inform staff, suppliers and customers where appropriate about this problems and its
unacceptability.
Deter staff, suppliers and customers from taking part, encouraging or condoning the exploitation
of children.
Cease using any suppliers who engages in or knowingly condones the sexual exploitation of
children.
Co-operate with the appropriate authorities in all countries to identify and investigate sexual
abuses of children and those who seek to benefit from sexual abuse of children.
IFTO recommends all members associations to:
Remove any member from their association who knowingly engages in or actively condones
sexual exploitation of children.
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