sex tourism definition legal

Wallin & Klarich

What is Federal Sex Tourism and What are the Consequences?

Every year, over one million children are abused in the global commercial sex trade. 1 In the United States, federal laws prohibit any adults from traveling to another country to engage in illegal sexual activities with a child under the age of 18.

Federal Laws Define the Crime of Sex Tourism

Specific federal statutes under Title 18 of the U.S. Code define the crime and the punishments for child sex tourism, some of these statutes include: 2

Federal sex tourism is a serious crime with a harsh punishment.

18 U.S.C. Section 2423(c): Engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places – U.S. citizens and legal residents are prohibited from going to another country and molesting or raping a child, or paying to have sex with a child. This carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.
18 U.S.C. Section 2423(d): Ancillary Offenses, makes it illegal to be involved in the child sex tourism industry (sex tour operator). If you violate this law, you could face up to 30 years in prison.
18 U.S.C. Sections 2251(c) and 2260(a): Production of Child Pornography outside the United States – makes it illegal to produce pornographic images outside of the US and import or intend to import them into the U.S. First time offenders face 15 to 30 years in prison for violating this law.
18 U.S.C. Section 1591: Sex Trafficking of children by force, fraud, or coercion – makes it illegal to knowingly obtain a child (whether they are American or foreign) and offer or coerce them to engage in any type of sexual activity for something of value, including money, favor, goods or other type of benefit. This carries 15 years to life in prison if the child was under the age of 14, and 10 years to life in prison if the child victim was over the age of 14 and under the age of 18.

Consent Laws of Foreign Countries Do Not Apply to U.S. Citizens

You could be charged with a federal crime in the U.S. if you take a minor to another country where the age of consent is lower and engage in sexual intercourse there. In fact, under 18 U.S.C. Section 2423(b), it is against federal law to transport a minor to a foreign country or territory to engage in any type of criminal sexual activity, even if the laws of that country do not prohibit such activity. U.S. citizens and legal residents who transport a minor with the intent of engaging in criminal sexual activity face a prison sentence of 10 years to life.

What if you engage in sexual acts with a minor from that country? If you are a citizen of the United States or a legal resident of the U.S., you are bound by the laws of the U.S. and you could be charged with federal sex trafficking crimes if you engage in sexual acts with a minor while in another country. The penalties for illicit sexual conduct with another person include fines and up to 30 years in prison.

Recent Case of Federal Sex Tourism

A recent case exemplifies what happens if you engage in sexual activity with a child in a foreign country. In 2013, Ross Ornelas informed the FBI that he had found “lewd things” on the computer of his 63-year-old brother Robert. In October 2014, Robert was taken into federal custody based on evidence that he allegedly traveled to the Philippines in March 2012 and sexually abused a 14-year-old girl and videotaped it. He brought the video back into the United States in April.

For these alleged federal crimes, Ornelas is facing charges of possessing child pornography, producing child pornography, and engaging of child sexual conduct in a foreign country. According to the L.A. Times, the charges carry an 80-year maximum sentence. 3

Contact the Attorneys at Wallin & Klarich to Learn More

The partners at Wallin & Klarich will be there when you call

If you are facing federal sex tourism charges, contact one of our experienced sex crimes defense attorneys as soon as possible. At Wallin & Klarich, our attorneys have been successfully defending people accused of federal crimes for over 30 years, and we are committed to helping guide you through the process. Our attorneys are available to answer any of your questions.

With offices in Los Angeles, Sherman Oaks, Torrance, Tustin, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, West Covina and Victorville, there is an experienced Wallin & Klarich federal attorney near you no matter where you work or live.

Call us today at (877) 4-NO-JAIL or (877) 466-5245 for a free phone consultation. We will be there when you call.

1. [http://www.fbi.gov/news/news_blog/bureau-initiative-focuses-on-child-sex-tourism] ↩

2. [http://www.justice.gov/criminal/ceos/citizensguide/citizensguide_child-sex-tourism.html ] ↩

3. [http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln–teacher-charged-with-sex-with-minor-20141027-story.html]] ↩

It Is Easier To Be Convicted Of A Sex Crime In California Than Other States: When Can Prior Uncharged Acts Be Admitted Against The Accused At Trial? Evidence Code Section 1108

Why Hiring A Private Defense Attorney Is Critical If You Are Being Charged With A Sex Crime in Southern California

Sex Offender Registry: Life Sentence or Can You Be Removed?

If you or a loved one have been accused of a sex crime, this is the time to contact us.

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Extraterritorial Sexual Exploitation Of Children

The extraterritorial sexual exploitation of children is the act of traveling to a foreign country and engaging in sexual activity with a child in that country. Federal law prohibits an American citizen or resident to travel to a foreign country with intent to engage in any form of sexual conduct with a minor (defined as persons under 18 years of age). It is also illegal to help organize or assist another person to travel for these purposes. This crime is a form of human trafficking, also referred to as child sex tourism. Convicted offenders face fines and up to 30 years of imprisonment (For more information, see Citizen's Guide to Federal Law on the Extraterritorial Sexual Exploitation of Children ).

The Crime Today

The relative ease of international travel in modern-day society has led to the growth of a dark, more clandestine phenomenon– the extraterritorial sexual exploitation of children. The various modes of international travel provide easier means and more opportunities for individuals to travel abroad and engage in sexual activity with children. In addition, technological advances have revolutionized the travel industry. The Internet allows individuals to quickly and easily exchange information about how and where to find child victims in foreign locations. Violators are also finding it easier to organize and navigate travel to foreign countries for these purposes online. Moreover, the utilization of the Internet may promote or encourage others to become involved in this form of child sexual exploitation.

American Offenders

Each year, Americans are convicted of committing this crime against children. While some offenders are pedophiles who preferentially seek out children for sexual relationships, others are situational abusers. These individuals do not consistently seek out children as sexual partners, but do occasionally engage in sexual acts with children when the opportunity presents itself. Children from developing countries are seen as easy targets by American perpetrators because they are often disadvantaged by unstable or unfavorable economic, social, or political conditions, or their home country lacks effective law enforcement against this crime. However, incidents of the extraterritorial sexual exploitation of children involving American perpetrators are reported and occur all over the world, including less developed areas in Southeast Asia, Central and South America, to more developed areas in Europe. Some perpetrators rationalize their sexual encounters with children with the idea that they are helping the children financially better themselves and their families. Other perpetrators are drawn towards this crime because they enjoy the anonymity that comes with being in a foreign land. Racism, gender discrimination, and cultural differences are among other justifications. However, the reason for travel makes no difference under the law; any American citizen or resident who engages in sexual conduct with a minor in a foreign land is subject to federal prosecution.

CEOS’s Role

CEOS attorneys work with the High Technology Investigative Unit (HTIU), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Homeland Security Investigations (ICE), United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, as well as foreign governments and law enforcement personnel to investigate and prosecute cases arising under federal statutes prohibiting the extraterritorial sexual exploitation of children. CEOS is dedicated to developing strategies and long-lasting relationships with foreign governments, law enforcement agencies, and prosecutors to more efficiently and effectively prosecute Americans sexually exploiting children in foreign countries. The enforcement of these laws abroad is part of the United States' effort to eradicate the sexual exploitation of children. Offenders prosecuted in the United States often face more appropriate penalties than if they were prosecuted in the country where the sexual abuse occurred. In addition, CEOS attorneys travel all over the country to conduct trainings for investigators, law enforcement personnel and others involved in efforts to investigate and prosecute this crime. Moreover, CEOS designs, implements, and supports law enforcement strategies, legislative proposals, and policy initiatives relating to federal laws on the extraterritorial sexual exploitation of children.

22 U.S. Code § 212a - Restriction of passports for sex tourism

The Secretary of State shall not issue a passport or passport card to an individual who is convicted of a violation of section 2423 of title 18 during the covered period if the individual used a passport or passport card or otherwise crossed an international border in committing the offense.

The Secretary of State shall revoke a passport or passport card previously issued to an individual described in subparagraph (A).

Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the Secretary of State may issue a passport or passport card, in emergency circumstances or for humanitarian reasons, to an individual described in paragraph (1)(A).

Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the Secretary of State may, prior to revocation, limit a previously issued passport or passport card only for return travel to the United States, or may issue a limited passport or passport card that only permits return travel to the United States.

The Immigration and Nationality Act , referred to in subsec. (a)(2), is act June 27, 1952, ch. 477, 66 Stat. 163 , which is classified principally to chapter 12 (§ 1101 et seq.) of Title 8, Aliens and Nationality. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 1101 of Title 8 and Tables.

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Sun, sea and sex: a review of the sex tourism literature

Timothy siliang lu.

1 School of Medicine, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland

Andrea Holmes

2 Saolta University Hospital Healthcare Group, University Hospital Galway, Galway, Ireland

Chris Noone

3 School of Psychology, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland

Gerard Thomas Flaherty

4 School of Medicine, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Associated Data

All material referenced in the preparation of this work are available from the corresponding author.

Sex tourism is defined as travel planned specifically for the purpose of sex, generally to a country where prostitution is legal. While much of the literature on sex tourism relates to the commercial sex worker industry, sex tourism also finds expression in non-transactional sexual encounters. This narrative review explores current concepts related to travel and sex, with a focus on trans-national sex tourism.

The PubMed database was accessed to source relevant literature, using combinations of pertinent search terms. Only articles published in the English language were selected. Reference lists of published articles were also examined for relevant articles.

With regard to preferred destinations, South/Central America and the Caribbean were more likely to receive tourists looking for casual sex. Longer duration of travel, travelling alone or with friends, alcohol or drug use, being younger and being single were factors associated with higher levels of casual sex overseas. The majority of literature retrieved on sex workers focused on risk behaviours, sexually transmitted infections (STI), mobility of sex workers and how these factors affected their lives. Sex tourists require better access to effective methods of preventing HIV, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis, and better education on HIV prevention. Drugs and alcohol play a major role as risk factors for and cofactors in casual sexual behaviour while abroad.

Conclusions

Travellers need to be informed of the increased risks of STI before travel. They should be aware of the local prevalence of STIs and the risks associated with their sexual practices when they travel, including engaging with commercial sex workers, having unprotected sexual intercourse and becoming victims of sexual violence.

Prior to the current pandemic of COVID-19, international travel had reached record levels of activity, with 1.4 billion traveller arrivals recorded in 2018 [ 1 ]. Sex and travel have a long association, dating from the ancient world onwards [ 2 ], and their connection is still apparent today. Sex tourism is defined by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as “travel planned specifically for the purpose of sex, generally to a country where prostitution is legal” [ 3 ]. Domestic sex tourism implies travel within the same country, while trans-national sex tourism refers to travel across international boundaries.

While much of the literature on sex tourism relates to the commercial sex worker industry, which remains illegal in many jurisdictions, sex tourism also finds expression in non-transactional sexual encounters, typically involving a tourist from an economically developed country seeking sexual experiences in developing host destinations. In some cases, travellers may engage in sex tourism to validate their own sexual identity with greater freedom than would be allowed in their own, more conservative nations. The main source of opposition to sex tourism concerns the troubling phenomenon of child sex tourism, which will be explored later in this review.

The link between travelling and the spread of disease is undeniable, as demonstrated by the current COVID-19 pandemic. As the travel landscape changes in the aftermath of the pandemic, so will the behaviour of travellers. The subject of sex tourism has been neglected to date in the travel medicine literature and receives little attention in the pre-travel health consultation. This narrative review explores current concepts related to travel and sex, with a focus on trans-national sex tourism, while also giving an insight into specific risks and behaviours associated with this activity.

Literature search strategy

The PubMed database was accessed between June 2019 and June 2020 to source relevant literature using combinations of the following search terms: Sex, Tourism, Travel, Migration, Holiday, Abroad, Vacation, Sexually Transmitted Infection, Sexually Transmitted Disease, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Prostitution, Drugs, Alcohol, Trafficking, Rape, Child, Military, Navy, Defence Forces, Business, Homosexual, Heterosexual, LGBTQ+, Transgender, Asia, North America, South America, Europe, Oceania, Africa. Only articles published in the English language were selected. Articles published within the past 5 years were prioritised. Reference lists of published articles were examined to ensure all relevant articles were included. Relevant sources of grey literature were also retrieved using Google® as a search engine. The legality of prostitution in different international jurisdictions, governmental attempts to regulate the sex tourism industry and the extraterritorial criminalisation of child sex tourism were beyond the scope of the current review.

Epidemiology of sex and travel

In the context of this review, we define casual sex as sexual relations undertaken without serious intent or emotional commitment between individuals who are not established sexual partners or do not know each other well. Men were more likely to seek out or engage in casual or risky sex behaviours (e.g., multiple partners, unprotected intercourse) while travelling [ 4 – 6 ]. As many as 1 in 10 men were recorded as having an overseas partner in a British study [ 6 ], and different categories of male sex tourist have also been proposed in the literature [ 7 ], ranging from the ‘macho lad’ asserting his dominance over foreign women to the ‘white knight’ saving women from commercial sex work. A study from the United States showed that female travellers had a greater preference for travel to European or tropical countries, and that sex was more likely to occur on group tours, sightseeing or backpacking holidays lasting fewer than 14 days [ 8 ]. Female sex tourism has also been described in Caribbean destinations such as Jamaica, with Euro-American women purchasing the services of so-called “Rent-A-Dreads”, local men who seek out relationships with tourist women for economic gain [ 9 ]. Younger women were reported to prefer expatriates and other tourists as sexual partners [ 10 ], while men of all ages and older women were reported to exercise a preference for local partners.

With regards to preferred destinations, a meta-analysis conducted in 2018 showed that South/Central America and the Caribbean were more likely to receive tourists looking for casual sex [ 5 ]. Additionally, Thailand and Cuba also have a prevalent sex tourism industry [ 7 , 11 ]. One study found that 66% of Australian tourists to Thailand were planning on having a sexual encounter while there [ 11 ], while sex tourism in Cuba has been described as “integral to the Cuban experience” [ 12 ]. Traveller subtypes who were more likely to engage in sex included backpackers, travelling businessmen, those visiting friends and relatives (VFR), and those travelling specifically to solicit commercial sex workers [ 5 ]. Factors associated with popular sex tourism destinations are described in Table 1 .

Characteristics of popular sex tourism destinations [ 5 , 13 – 15 ]

STI sexually transmitted infection

Several studies report that longer duration of travel (greater than 1 month), travelling alone or with friends, alcohol or drug use, being younger and being single were factors associated with higher levels of casual sex overseas [ 4 – 6 ]. A study conducted in Sweden reported conflicting data, showing that short term travellers (less than 5 days) were 20 times more likely to engage in casual sex [ 16 ]. While few studies offered information linking different ethnicities to sexual behaviour overseas, one British study found that non-white citizens were more likely to engage in sexual behaviour while travelling [ 6 ]. Migrants and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) community are also discussed frequently in the sex tourism literature. A summary of the characteristics associated with sexual risk behaviour is shown in Table 2 . This will be explored further in this review. Studies of travellers engaging in sex with tourism representatives [ 11 ], sex workers and fellow travellers [ 5 ] show that choice of partner while travelling is not limited to any particular demographic.

Summary of the characteristics of a typical sex tourist [ 4 – 6 , 8 , 16 – 23 ]

LGBTQ+ Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer

Commercial sex work and travel

Travellers may engage in planned or opportunistic interactions with commercial sex workers (CSW). The majority of literature we retrieved on sex workers focused on risk behaviours, sexually transmitted infections (STI), mobility of sex workers and how these factors affected their lives. De et al. examined the different categories of sex worker in the region of Bangui in the Central African Republic, and found that 1 in 4 of ‘Pupulenge’, the higher class sex worker more likely to cater to foreigners, had poor regular usage of condoms in the previous 3 months, but better knowledge of their HIV/AIDS risk and status [ 24 ]. There were similar findings among male sex workers in Jamaica, who regarded themselves more as long term romantic partners of female tourists, and as such had low levels of condom usage [ 13 ]. In addition, these men had reported misuse of alcohol and drugs, and were accustomed to having multiple partners.

Safe sex behaviours were also shown to be highly dependent on the travel destination. A study in Singapore showed that 87.5% of local men used condoms when engaging a sex worker in Singapore, but when travelling the rate dropped to between 44 and 77%, depending on location [ 25 ]. This finding was supported by research from Hong Kong, which also showed that heterosexual men reported lower levels of condom usage when visiting sex workers outside of their own country [ 26 ]. Hsieh et al. [ 27 ] proposed that the clients of sex workers could facilitate the spread of STIs between different nations and networks to a larger degree than sex workers, while also contributing to STI prevalence within their own communities.

An interesting area with limited research evidence is the role sex tourism websites play, with only one paper identified on this subject [ 28 ]. This article analysed various sex tourism websites and found that most displayed sex workers as commodities, to be chosen and paid for by tourists, portraying them as exotic third world women, capable of providing a “total girlfriend experience”, enjoying the company of foreigners and being completely subservient to them. This study proposed that these websites enforce the fiction behind sex tourism and, in doing so, sustain the possible misogynistic views of the sex tourist. It was also noted that any legal or health information on these websites was centred round the tourist, rather than the sex worker.

The risks faced by non-commercial partners of sex workers have also been studied. An examination of CSW in a Mexican border town with high migratory traffic found that unprotected sex was often common in their personal relationships, too [ 29 ]. The literature relating to CSW and travel showed that multiple parties are implicated in commercial sex networks, and the behaviour of any one individual in these networks has implications for many others. Table 3 below summarises these findings.

Summary of commercial sex worker studies

CSW commercial sex workers; STI sexually transmitted infections

Sexually transmitted infections

The association of sex tourism and casual sex during travel with the spread of novel STIs has long been recognised. It has been suggested that Columbus’ sailors were responsible for the epidemic of venereal syphilis in Europe in the late fifteenth century following sexual relations with local Haitian women [ 2 ], while the link between travel and the spread of novel STIs was also established in Thailand in the 1980s [ 30 ], and Trinidad and Tobago in 2012 [ 31 ]. Travellers are also thought to be implicated in the reintroduction of syphilis and lymphogranuloma venereum to parts of North America and Europe [ 25 ]. The risk factors for traveller acquisition of STIs include longer duration of stay, travel to lower income countries, being single, substance abuse, being male, repeat visits to the same area, and a previous history of multiple partners or STIs [ 32 , 33 ]. Crawford et al. identified being female, having a history of fewer sexual partners, and having received pre-travel health advice and vaccinations as being associated with a lower risk of contracting STIs among expatriates and travellers [ 32 ].

While prevalence rates for STIs among CSW vary, rates as high as 88% in Nairobi and 44% in Bangkok have been reported [ 34 ]. In addition to this, high rates of curable STI prevail worldwide, ranging from 5 to 65% in Africa, 20.9% in Brazil and 0–13.6% in Asia [ 10 ]. These findings put sex tourists at very high risk for STIs on a global scale. A diverse range of STIs has been recorded in travellers returning from tropical countries [ 35 ], from frequent detection of genital herpes in sailors returning to China [ 36 ], to the suggested “new” STI Tinea genitalis , found in several individuals with a recent travel sex history in Southeast Asia [ 37 ]. While this type of dermatophyte infection is not primarily an STI, the sudden rise in cases associated with it over a short period highlights how vulnerable travellers are to organisms transferable through intimate contact during travel.

A study examining all cases of gonorrhoea contracted by people living in Nordic nations between 2008 and 2013 showed that 25.5% of all cases were associated with travel [ 14 ]. The rates of travel-associated gonorrhoea increased from year to year and, while the majority of cases involved men, the number of affected women increased from year to year. Among the regions visited, the majority of Nordic travel-associated cases of gonorrhoea were associated with travel to Asia (between December and July) and Europe (from August to November), a third of cases were associated with travel to Thailand, and travel to Thailand, Philippines and Spain accounted for almost half of all travel-related cases. These data imply that specific regions can be considered hotspots for contraction of STIs during travel.

Another important consideration is the acquisition and spread of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) STIs. In recent years, the rise in AMR involving Haemophilus ducreyi has been documented worldwide [ 10 ]. Similarly, beta-lactamase producing strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae have been detected in Africa, the Caribbean and Asia. In isolates of N. gonorrhoeae from Africa and Southeast Asia, penicillin resistance has been reported in as many as 50% of isolates. Baker et al. also noted the worldwide spread of azithromycin-resistant shigellosis through sexual transmission, from high prevalence regions in Africa and Asia, to lower prevalence nations [ 38 ]. The documented increase in AMR STIs puts travellers engaging in sexual behaviour at high risk of treatment-resistant infection.

Current efforts to advise and change traveller behaviours have been shown to be of limited effectiveness. A study of different efforts to curtail travellers’ risk behaviour showed that providing brief interventions on sexual health during consults for travellers proved minimally more effective than just distributing condoms or not providing additional advice [ 39 ]. This trial showed that the methods employed still resulted in low levels of condom usage. In a study by Croughs et al., extensive motivational training was shown to reduce sexual risk behaviour, and it was also found that written materials on STIs were more effective than having travel health practitioners discuss STI prevention with travellers [ 40 ]. A change in strategy appears necessary to combat the risk-taking behaviours of travellers, especially given the reported difficulty of reaching target audiences [ 41 ].

This is an important area that warrants further research, given poor recorded levels of condom usage in travellers. A meta-analysis of literature on this subject found that the pooled prevalence of unprotected intercourse among travellers who had sex overseas was 49.4% [ 42 ]. Similar results have been shown among sexually active backpackers visiting Ko Tao and Ko Phangan in Thailand, with a third of subjects reporting inconsistent condom use. An online cross-sectional study of travellers was conducted in 2014 [ 15 ], and among the sexually active population 59.7% reported inconsistent condom use. A study of condom usage among Swedish travellers revealed flawed reasoning for decisions around condom usage, such as length of familiarity with partner, the country visited, and asking if their partner had an STI [ 43 ]. This same study also revealed that some travellers succumbed to peer pressure, were more willing to let their partner make the decision, and had a fear of being seen as promiscuous (among heterosexual women) or a fear of ‘ruining the moment’ (among heterosexual men), leading to reduced condom usage. Other factors associated with reduced usage were the belief that foreign condoms were of poorer quality [ 34 ], spontaneous sexual encounters or embarrassment at purchasing condoms [ 43 ], substance use [ 15 , 32 , 43 ], and travel to Latin America or the Caribbean [ 15 ]. An examination of male sex tourists to Thailand also revealed that unprotected sex was seen as more masculine and enjoyable, and there was a general misconception among male sex tourists that unprotected heterosexual intercourse was a low risk activity [ 44 ]. This same study also showed that male heterosexual sex tourists were aware of risks, but due to their own personal or peer experiences being at variance with the warnings they received regarding risky sexual behaviour, they were more likely to engage in unprotected sex with CSW. The low rates of condom usage put sexually active travellers at an obvious risk for contraction of STIs.

It is accepted that contracting an STI increases the risk of HIV transmission, and vice versa [ 45 ]. A Geosentinel analysis from 2013 indicated that, out of a sample of 64,335 travellers, 117 returned home with acute symptoms of HIV transmission [ 46 ]. In addition, links between clusters of HIV acquisition in Belize, Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras have been found. This finding highlighted the role migration and travel play in the transmission of HIV within Central America. This study also found half of Honduran woman sampled with HIV belonged to viral clusters that were linked to international clusters. Memish and Osoba also noted in their paper on STIs and travel that travellers to Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia and India were most likely to acquire HIV from unprotected sexual encounters [ 2 ]. The voluminous literature relating to STIs and travel indicates that this is an area of key importance to the travel medicine practitioner. While the effectiveness to date of interventions in altering risk behaviours in travellers has been questionable, it is clear that travellers require better access to effective methods of preventing HIV, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and better education on HIV prevention.

The LGBTQ+ community and travel sex behaviour

A meta-analysis published in 2018 revealed that gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) travellers were 3 times more likely to have casual sex while travelling [ 5 ]. Travel or migration may allow members of the LGBTQ+ community to escape from societal pressures they face in their home countries and explore their sexuality [ 17 ]. MSM are also more likely than heterosexual men to have multiple partners during their travels. MSM have also shown to be at least twice as likely to pay for sex compared to heterosexual men [ 10 ]. A report on MSM travellers in the United States also found that 19.4% of those surveyed reported that having sex with a new partner was one of their main goals while on vacation [ 18 ]. Further studies in the US on MSM travellers to Key West, a popular destination for LGBTQ+ travellers in Florida, found that of the sexually active participants, 34% had new partners, and 59% had unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) [ 19 ]. Among Swedish MSM travellers, 13.5% reported UAI during their overseas travels, the majority of whom met a new partner abroad [ 20 ]. Additional studies in China involving MSM found that 5% identified as sex tourists, a third of this group identified the purchase of sex as a primary reason for travel, and another third had UAI while travelling [ 21 ].

While limited research exists on other categories of travellers within the LGBTQ+ community, one paper on transgender women in Bangladesh revealed that those who crossed international borders had a greater number of transactional sex partners and reduced use of condoms [ 22 ]. Across all of these studies, regular associations between travel and drug and alcohol use, transactional sex, group sex, a history of STIs and a greater number of past partners were reported [ 18 – 23 ].

Another interesting area of development in LGBTQ+ international travel trends is the resurgence of circuit parties [ 47 ]. These parties involve weekend-long social activities and dance events. Party-goers were found more likely to have a greater number of partners in the previous 6 months, greater use of recreational drugs, more likely to seek transactional sex, and more likely to report a personal history of STI and UAI. A common finding with these parties was attendees travelling from low HIV prevalence countries to high prevalence countries. This finding was replicated among Chinese MSM travellers [ 21 ]. These social events are commonly associated with the use of drugs which heighten sexual arousal, an activity referred to as ‘chemsex’.

Networks of MSM travellers have also been described around the world. A group of MSM referred to as “Geoflexibles” was identified by Gesink et al. in 2018 [ 48 ]. The authors described a group of men who were willing to travel for sex, and who were less particular about where they had sex. Gesink proposed that these travellers could act as a bridge between MSM in Toronto and, although his study did not specifically mention international travel, it is certainly applicable in the travel context. Networks of MSM implicated in the transmission of STIs and HIV have been suggested in the literature. Persson et al. suggested the presence of a network in Sweden with a high prevalence of STI/HIV [ 20 ], and an examination of HIV clusters in Central America found that half of the people living with HIV were MSM, with serotypes closely related to international clusters [ 49 ]. The suggestion of international MSM networks and travel playing a role in the dispersion of STI/HIV was reinforced by Takebe et al. in 2014 [ 50 ]. Their research revealed the worldwide dispersal of the JP.MSM.B1 subtype of HIV, and confirmed the interactions of HIV epidemics between Japan, China and the rest of the world. These networks have also been implicated in Shigella transmission in San Francisco [ 51 ], in addition to an outbreak of Hepatitis A in Northern Italy [ 52 ].

These findings have implications for LGBTQ+ travellers who engage in sexual behaviour while abroad. Mathematical modelling of LGBTQ+ tourists to Key West estimated that 1 in 196.5 MSM who engage in risk behaviour will acquire HIV [ 19 ], roughly equating to 200 new infections per 100,000 tourists, a number which could drop to as low as 45 with consistent condom use. In 77% of sexual interactions in this study, HIV serostatus was not discussed. Studies about MSM travellers in San Francisco showed that, among those who engaged in casual sex, there was a decreased probability of HIV serodisclosure when communication was an issue owing to language barriers [ 53 ]. A follow up study was conducted on the health-seeking behaviour of MSM travellers, revealing that a quarter of those surveyed had not received the Hepatitis B virus vaccine, and of the men living with HIV, a third had not been vaccinated [ 54 ].

Another facet of the intersection between sex tourism and HIV transmission that warrants attention is the relatively new phenomenon of “holiday pre-exposure prophylaxis” (PrEP) for HIV. With PrEP being a relatively new phenomenon, limited literature exists on the subject in relation to travel, but interviews conducted by Underhill et al. suggest that MSM travellers regard themselves as at greater risk for HIV while travelling and are more willing to take PrEP [ 55 ]. However, travel has also been associated with disruption in PrEP regimens due to inconvenience [ 56 , 57 ], so the role it plays in sex tourism warrants further research.

Travel for the purposes of sexual exploration and casual sex among MSM presents a challenge to travel medicine practitioners. Analysis of Swedish MSM travellers in 2015 revealed that there was little HIV or STI prevention information received in Sweden or abroad [ 58 ]. In addition, only 3% of the surveyed population sought out this information before travelling. A further investigation of the knowledge, attitudes and practices of MSM travellers is required to plan successful interventions in this population of international travellers. More research on how sex tourism is experienced by women and gender diverse people within the LGBTQ+ community is also warranted.

The effects of alcohol and drugs on sex tourism

Drugs and alcohol play a major role as risk factors for and cofactors in casual sexual behaviour while abroad. A study of British summer workers in Ibiza found that almost all those surveyed drank alcohol, while 85.3% used drugs during their stay, a high proportion of whom used drugs that they had never tried before [ 59 ]. This study found that the odds of having sex increased with the use of amphetamines or higher frequency of drinking, while the odds of having multiple partners increased with greater frequency of drinking. Unprotected sex was also found to be more likely when alcohol was involved.

Extensive analysis of American students on Spring Break has also been conducted to analyse the role alcohol plays in high risk behaviour during this period. Patrick et al. found that a greater proportion of students drank alcohol before having sex or making risky sexual decisions [ 60 ]. This finding was particularly prevalent among students who travelled abroad. Another study of Spring Break students found that risky behaviours such as unprotected sex or multiple partners were cumulative [ 61 ], such that engaging in one activity increased risk for the other. Almost half of the students in this study reported binge drinking before sex. The role alcohol and drugs play in exposing travellers to risky sexual behaviour is clear, but this appears to be poorly appreciated by the traveller. Travel health practitioners must emphasise the risks travellers expose themselves to when misusing alcohol and drugs.

Sexual assault and violence in travellers

A cross-sectional survey on travellers returning from Mediterranean resorts reported that 1.5% were subject to non-consensual sex during their travels, with gay and bisexual males reporting higher levels [ 62 ]. In this same report, 8.6% of respondents experienced some form of sexual harassment, with females and gay/bisexual males more frequently reporting this. Another finding was that being a gay/bisexual male, using marijuana, and patronising bars where there were opportunities for sex were factors associated with being subject to non-consensual sex. A similar study on the harassment of tourists in Barbados found between 7 and 12% of tourists reported sexual harassment, depending on their country of origin [ 63 ]. Kennedy and Flaherty also asserted that up to 4% of Irish citizens reporting sexual violence experience it while travelling [ 64 ]. A review from Canada of all reported sexual assault cases associated with mass gathering events found a significant association between being overseas and being sexually assaulted at such an event [ 65 ]. Table 4 outlines the pre-travel health advice which should be available to travellers who may engage in sex tourism.

Pre-travel health recommendations

STI sexually transmitted infection; HIV human immunodeficiency virus; PrEP pre-exposure prophylaxis

Child sex tourism

Klain described two main types of child sex tourist, the “elective sex tourist” who travels for leisure or business and makes unplanned use of child sex workers when given the opportunity, and the “core sex tourist”, the purpose of whose trip is solely to engage in sexual contact with a child [ 66 ]. A study of German tourists conducted in 2017 found that 0.4% reported being child sex tourists [ 67 ]. This same study found that these individuals usually had personal experiences of abuse, paedophilic and antisocial behaviours. With an estimated 1.2 million children trafficked worldwide annually [ 67 ], more research is urgently needed on this topic.

The effects of wealth and mobility on sex tourism

Aggleton et al. describe in their paper a specific group of travellers, “mobile men with money” [ 68 ]. These men come from diverse backgrounds and various employments, but share two common features, high spending power and high mobility. In the paper, these men were said to frequently use their high spending power and resources to engage in casual and transactional sex encounters. This group of men was found to be at high risk for HIV. The paper proposed that these men lacked social support and were frequently influenced by the behaviour of their peers. While further literature on this sub-group is lacking, travel to lower income countries and the resulting increase in spending power for the traveller have been documented as risk factors for acquisition of STI/HIV [ 32 ]. This would suggest that wealth inequality may have a role in influencing risk behaviours in certain individuals.

Impact of sex tourism on host communities

While a detailed consideration of the impact of sex tourists on sex tourism destinations is beyond the scope of the current work, some key issues are worthy of discussion. Local cultural attitudes towards sex tourism are complex and are influenced by harsh economic conditions, where impoverished families may find themselves with few options for survival and have to resort to sending their children to urban centres visited by sex tourists. There may be an expectation in some cultures that children will share the family’s financial burden. Remittances from a family member engaged in the sex tourism industry may be vital to enable families to improve their quality of life.

Child sex tourism produces a detrimental impact on the children’s capacity to achieve their goals within the education system. Sex tourism may reinforce traditional colonial attitudes towards race and gender, which serve to deepen existing socioeconomic inequalities. Local communities are often reluctant to intervene in cases of child sexual exploitation, given the complex underlying economic precipitants and the greater level of public acceptability of prostitution in some countries. Such attitudes render children far more vulnerable to being absorbed by the adult sex trade and becoming sexually exploited by sex tourists, who may use the anonymity afforded by the dark web as a global networking tool to share information with other sex tourists.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to school closures and a higher risk of contact between children and online sexual predators. It has isolated victims of child trafficking and sex tourism from available support structures and jeopardised their usual escape routes. The reported 30% increase in consumption of online child pornography during recent periods of pandemic lockdown in Europe, for example, have further increased the demand for child exploitation [ 69 ]. The current restrictions on international travel will undoubtedly influence sex tourism patterns worldwide, leading to greater degrees of domestic child abuse and online sexual exploitation. Further research may shed a light on this and other COVID-related secondary effects on the sex tourism industry.

Future considerations in sex tourism

While the world prepares for a cautious return to routine international travel in a future post-COVID era [ 70 ], we may ponder what constitutes a traveller or a tourist in the modern era. Opperman proposed the idea of a ‘cyberspace tourist’ in his paper on sex tourism [ 71 ]. While we have not found any further literature on this subject, is a person who sits at a computer in his/her home and pays for a voyeuristic virtual reality experience involving a foreigner thousands of miles away a cyber-sex tourist? With the rapid advancements in technology in recent years, we may contemplate whether people even need to leave their home to “travel”. It is conceivable that future sexual experiences will mirror these changes in travel patterns. With PrEP being a recent development, the role it plays in protecting travellers exposed to HIV overseas remains to be seen. This is a potential area of research activity as it becomes established as a mainstay preventive option. Possible areas of unmet need in sex tourism research are presented in Table 5 .

Sex tourism research priorities

PrEP pre-exposure prophylaxis

Limitations of current review

Strengths of our review include its multidisciplinary authorship, its broad coverage of diverse facets of sex tourism, and the focus on the most recent literature on the subject. Limitations of our approach include its restriction to articles published in the English language and the use of a single medical literature database. Accessing literature on sex tourism from Latin America and the Caribbean, using the Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature virtual library, for example, may have provided deeper insights into the impact of sex tourism on host communities. It is reasonable to assume that relevant literature on sex tourism resides in the social sciences literature such as the Social Sciences Citation Index of the Web of Science. Future reviews on this topic should also consult an appropriate social sciences database and refer to relevant material from the anthropological literature.

In our review of the literature associated with sex and travel, it was clear that the same set of risk behaviours and consequences applied to diverse groups. We recommend that more research be conducted into novel and effective interventions for modifying these high-risk behaviours. Travellers should be informed of the increased risks of STI before they travel. They should be aware of the prevalence of STIs in the area they plan to visit, and the risks associated with their sexual practices when they travel, including engaging with commercial sex workers, practising chemsex, engaging in unprotected sexual intercourse, and becoming the victim of sexual violence. They should also be informed about how to access appropriate medical care overseas and as returned travellers, should they require it.

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the assistance received from Dr. Amy Abrahams and Dr. Stuart MacLeod in identifying appropriate source material for an earlier version of this manuscript.

Authors’ contributions

GTF conceived the idea for the review. GTF and AH planned the literature search strategy. TSL conducted the literature search with assistance from GTF, AH and CN. TSL prepared the first draft of the manuscript, which was edited for significant intellectual content by GTF, AH and CN. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

None received.

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News & Insights

Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism

Equality Now tackles sexual exploitation in travel and tourism, often called “sex tourism”, a global issue that cuts across national borders and state lines. “Sex tourists” travel to buy sex from vulnerable women, girls and other vulnerable people, often from poor and marginalized communities.

Sexual exploitation in travel and tourism has become far more complex, involving not only tourists but business travelers, migrant/transient workers, and ‘voluntourists’ intent on exploiting women, girls, and other vulnerable people, as well as large numbers of domestic travelers. ECPAT’s global study on sexual exploitation in travel and tourism confirms that offenders can come from any background and do not all fit the stereotypical profile: a white, Western, wealthy, middle-aged male pedophile. Some may be pedophiles but most are not. Both the age of the clients and the age of the victims are decreasing .

There is increasing recognition of the links between organized sexual exploitation and travel for business or leisure, including for major sporting events such as the Super Bowl.

Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism

Women, girls, and other vulnerable people are often trafficked domestically or internationally to meet demand. Equality Now was one of the first human rights organizations to recognize the link between “sex tourism” and sex trafficking, and to focus on shutting down sex tour operators.

What is Equality Now doing to end sexual exploitation in travel and tourism?

Equality Now is working with Trace Kenya and LifeBloom Services International to call for legal reform that will protect women and girls from sexual exploitation and end impunity for perpetrators. As well as working on reform of national law including the Sexual Offenses Act, the Counter Trafficking In Persons Act, and the Children Act we are also engaging with local government to promote county-level laws and policies. Through our partners, we also engage with judiciary and law enforcement to encourage them to take a more gendered, survivor-centered approach.

Our Impact: Tackling Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism

Taking on big apple oriental tours.

We campaigned to shut down Big Apple Oriental Tours, a New York City-based company exploiting women and girls in the Philippines and Thailand. In 2007, our efforts led New York to amend its anti-trafficking law, which gave police the tools to prosecute sex tour operators. After many investigations, we helped convict the company’s co-owner Douglas Allen of promoting prostitution in 2013.

Passing First US State Law Against Sex Tourism

We began our campaign to shut down Hawaii-based sex tour operator Video Travel, a company exploiting women and girls in Thailand. Our campaign and legal support inspired Hawaii to introduce and pass the first state law to criminalize sex tourism. Video Travel’s proprietor had his travel agency license revoked and is no longer allowed to operate in Hawaii.

Calling on the US Government to End Sex Tourism

We called on the US government to stop sex tourism and to investigate GF Tours, a company exploiting women in Southeast Asia. We lobbied for stronger enforcement of federal anti-trafficking laws, which make sex tourism a crime, to shut them down. Due to our efforts, GF Tours removed graphic content from its materials.

First Sex Tourism Conviction in New York State

Equality Now brought the case of Jump Off Destinations, a New York-based sex tour operator traveling to the Dominican Republic, to the attention of the Manhattan District Attorney. In 2007, the owner was found guilty, the first time that New York State law prohibiting the promotion of prostitution was used to prosecute a sex tour operator and the first conviction of its kind in the US.

Standing Up for Exploited Girls

We led a civil case in the US on behalf of Brazilian girls who were sexually exploited by a US-based sex tour operator. With pro bono support from a law firm, we filed the first known civil action under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. In 2015, the case was settled. The funds helped the girls rebuild their lives.

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Section 9 - Adventure Travel
Section 10 - African Safaris

Sex & Travel

Cdc yellow book 2024.

Author(s): Melanie Taylor, Ina Park

A natural human desire for novel experiences, coupled with the often-experienced loss of inhibition associated with being away from home, can lead some travelers to take greater than usual sexual behavioral risks (e.g., engaging in sex with new, unknown partners; having sex with multiple partners; connecting with sex networks) while abroad. Any of these behaviors can increase the traveler’s risk for exposure to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. Use of alcohol or drugs (which further decrease inhibition), or geosocial networking applications (“apps” which increase the efficiency of meeting sexual partners while abroad) can amplify a traveler’s chances of having an at-risk exposure, in some cases substantially.

Clinicians have an opportunity to help patients reduce their risk of exposure to STIs through pretravel behavioral-prevention and risk-reduction counseling and medical care. Elements of the pretravel preparation include STI prevention guidance (e.g., advocating for the use of condoms or other barrier methods); STI screening, treatment, and vaccines; and a discussion about HIV pre- and postexposure prophylaxis. Consider providing preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV infection in travelers planning to have condomless sex. The pretravel consultation also gives clinicians a chance to review safety recommendations to prevent sexual assault during travel.

Sex While Traveling

Sex while traveling encompasses the categories of casual consensual sex, sex tourism, sexual violence or assault, connection to sex trafficking, and sexual exploitation of children.

Casual Consensual Sex

Casual consensual sex during travel describes informal, non-transactional sexual encounters with other travelers or locals. Longer duration of travel, traveling alone or with friends, alcohol or drug use, younger age, and being single are factors associated with engaging in casual sex while traveling internationally. Other associations with casual sex are listed in Box 9-14 . Two meta-analyses estimated that 20%–34% of male international travelers engage in casual sex abroad, and that 43%–49% of all travelers participating in casual sex abroad have condomless sex.

Box 9-14 Factors associated with higher frequency of casual or unprotected sex abroad

Casual sex at home and during a previous travel experience
Expectation of casual sex while abroad
History of previous sexually transmitted infection
Illicit drug use, alcohol abuse, tobacco use
Long-term travel (expatriates, military, Peace Corps volunteers)
Traveling without a partner (either alone or with friends)
Younger age
≥2 sex partners in the last 2 years

Men Who Have Sex With Men

For men who have sex with men (MSM), conclusions from the literature regarding their sexual behavior when traveling are conflicting. Some studies examining MSM sexual behavior when traveling have concluded that this population is more likely to engage in condomless anal intercourse with partners of unknown HIV status; to have concurrent or multiple sex partners; or to have sex in conjunction with substance use while traveling. These can be particularly true if the reason for travel is to attend group sex events or gatherings (e.g., cruises, circuit parties). Other reports, however, indicate that MSM might adapt their behaviors when traveling to destinations perceived to have a higher risk for HIV. One study found that MSM who travel internationally were less likely to have condomless anal intercourse with partners abroad compared to partners encountered at home or during domestic travel.

Sex Tourism

Travel for the specific purpose of procuring sex is considered “sex tourism,” and sex tourism destinations frequently are countries where commercial sex is legal. In some countries, sex tourism supports sex trafficking, among the largest and most lucrative criminal industries in the world. Sex tourists have traditionally been men from high-income countries who travel to low- and middle-income countries to pay for sex with local women, including commercial sex workers. Sex tourism among American and European women also has been described, particularly to the Caribbean.

Having condomless sex with commercial sex workers is associated with an increased risk for STIs. Multidrug-resistant gonorrhea infections have been linked to encounters with sex workers. High rates of HIV are also frequently found among sex workers, with a systematic review describing a global prevalence of 11.8%. Among sex workers in Thailand, however, HIV rates of up to 44% have been described; in Kenya, the rate among sex workers has been reported to be even higher (up to 88%).

Sexual Violence & Assault

People of any age, gender, or sexual orientation can be victims of sexual violence during travel and should be aware of this risk. The risk for sexual assault is greater among young women traveling alone and in regions of high sexual violence prevalence (e.g., central and southern sub-Saharan Africa, Andean Latin America, Australasia). In addition, some studies have identified that young gay and bisexual males (MSM) traveling internationally might be victims of sexual violence more frequently than females or heterosexual males. Sexual violence can occur more often in association with international recreational travel, but it is also reported in travelers participating in humanitarian aid work. Alcohol and drug use have been shown to increase vulnerability for sexual assault. Unfamiliar cultural norms, environments, language barriers, and safety concerns might also increase the risk.

Post–Sexual Assault Medical Care

Victims of sexual violence (particularly rape) should seek immediate medical attention. Health care sought after 72 hours could negate the benefits of postexposure prophylaxis for HIV and STIs, lower the effectiveness of emergency contraception, and reduce the value of any collected forensic evidence. Seeking medical care following a sexual assault can, however, be difficult in places where safety is a concern, where health care is not easily accessed, and where language and other barriers might not facilitate appropriate evaluation.

In addition to HIV and other STI postexposure prophylaxis, emergency contraception, and the forensic examination, medical attention after sexual assault should include treatment of injuries and provision of mental health and other supportive care. Adolescent-adapted services should be available and sought to address the related but different needs of youth who have been victims of sexual violence.

Sex Trafficking & Sexual Exploitation of Children

Although commercial sex work is legal in some parts of the world, sex trafficking, sex with a minor, and child pornography are always criminal activities according to US law, and travelers can be prosecuted in the United States even if they participated in such activities abroad. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act makes it illegal to recruit, entice, or obtain a person of any age to engage in commercial sex acts or to benefit from such activities.

Sex With Minors

Federal law bars US residents traveling abroad from having sex with minors; this applies to all travelers, both adult and youth. Travel health providers should inform student travelers and other young people going abroad that according to US law, it is illegal for a US resident to have sex with a minor in another country. The legal age of consent varies around the world, from 11–21 years old. Some countries have no legal age of consent, with local laws forbidding all sexual relations outside of marriage.

Child Pornography

Regardless of the local age of consent, participation in child pornography anywhere in the world is illegal in the United States. US Code Title 18, Chapter 110 , prohibits sex with minors, as well as the purchase, procurement, holding, or storage of material depicting such acts. These crimes are subject to prosecution with penalties of up to 30 years in prison. Victims of child pornography suffer multiple forms of abuse (emotional, physical, psychological, as well as sexual), poverty and homelessness, and health problems, including physical injury, STIs, other infections and illnesses, drug and alcohol addiction, and malnourishment.

Sexual Exploitation of Children

Sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism affects all countries of the world regardless of income level. Offenders can include expatriates, humanitarian aid workers, international business travelers, military personnel, people attending large-scale sporting and cultural events, teachers, travelers and tourists, and volunteers. Financial vulnerabilities of families and communities resulting from the millions of travel and tourism jobs lost due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the availability of cheap and accessible travel, and expanding access to information and communication technologies are expected to increase opportunities for child sexual exploitation.

Combatting Sexual Exploitation of Children

To combat sexual exploitation of children, some international hotels and other tourism services have voluntarily adopted a code of conduct that includes training their employees to recognize and report suspicious activities. Tourist establishments supporting this initiative to protect children from sex tourism are listed online. Providers and travelers who suspect child sexual exploitation occurring abroad can report tips anonymously by calling the Homeland Security Investigations Tip Line (toll-free at 866-347-2423), or by submitting information online to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement or the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children .

In the United States, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s Cyber Tipline collects reports of child prostitution and other crimes against children (toll-free at 800-843-5678).

Protect Act

Since 2003, when Congress passed the federal PROTECT Act, US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has arrested >11,000 offenders for child sex tourism and exploitation, including 1,100 outside of the United States. The PROTECT Act strengthens the US government’s ability to prosecute and punish crimes related to sex tourism, including incarceration of ≤30 years for acts committed at home or abroad.

Cooperation of the host country is required to open an investigation of criminal activity, resulting in a much lower than hoped for conviction rate. In some places, the judicial system might be prone to bribery and corruption, or the government is otherwise willing to expand tourism and the money it brings at the expense of children being trafficked for sex. The US Department of State has published a list of 20 ways to fight human trafficking , including recommendations for youth and their parents, attorneys, health care providers, journalists, and other stakeholders.

Sexually Transmitted Infections

See Sec. 11, Ch. 10, Sexually Transmitted Infections , for details regarding the management of STIs in returned travelers.

Epidemiology

In 2019, the World Health Organization estimated that 376 million new infections with curable sexually transmitted pathogens (chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, and syphilis) occur annually. Globally, >500 million adults are estimated to be infected with a genital herpes virus; ≈40 million people are infected with HIV; and >300 million with human papillomavirus infections, the cause of cervical cancer. Over 30 infections are sexually transmitted, several of which are neither curable nor vaccine preventable.

The distribution of STI prevalence and STI resistance to available treatment varies, and some countries and regions have very high rates of STIs. International travelers having sex with new partners while abroad are exposed to different “sexual networks” than at home and can serve as a conduit for importing novel or antimicrobial-resistant STIs into parts of the world where they are unknown or rare. For example, gonorrhea (among the more common STIs globally with ≈78 million new cases in 2016) has become extensively drug resistant in some parts of the world. Multidrug-resistant gonorrhea infections have been associated with unprotected sex and commercial sex during travel. Patients presenting with antimicrobial-resistant gonococcal infections should prompt providers to inquire about their travel history and the travel history of their sex partners.

STI incidence is increased ≤3-fold in people who experience casual sex while traveling internationally, a consequence of new sexual partnerships and unprotected intercourse. Condoms prevent both STIs and unwanted pregnancy. Preventive vaccines (which can be considered as part of pretravel care) are available for some infections transmitted through intercourse (e.g., hepatitis A, hepatitis B, human papillomavirus). HIV PrEP might be appropriate for travelers planning to engage in condomless sex during travel. Travelers should consider packing condoms from their home country to avoid the need to search for them in the countries visited during travel. Women carrying condoms in luggage might need to conceal these to avoid questions related to sexual activity or assumed behaviors.

In May 2022, a multinational outbreak of monkeypox ( mpox ) began; 3 months later (by the end of August) it involved people from >90 countries. During the outbreak, the causative agent, monkeypox virus (see Sec. 5, Part 2, Ch. 22, Smallpox & Other Orthopoxvirus-Associated Infections ), spread person-to-person primarily through close skin-to-skin (including sexual) contact. Most cases occurred among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men; international travel played a role in introducing the virus to new countries. Remind all travelers that sex with new partners can increase their risk of contracting infections, including mpox.

People at risk of mpox exposure and infection during travel should complete mpox vaccination series at least two weeks prior to departure. Refer susceptible travelers who have been exposed to mpox for vaccination, as soon as possible (ideally within 4 days of exposure) to help prevent the disease or make it less severe.

The following authors contributed to the previous version of this chapter: Jay Keystone, Kimberly A. Workowski, Elissa Meites

Bibliography

End Child Prostitution and Trafficking (ECPAT). Summary paper on sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism. Bangkok: ECPAT; 2020. Available from: www.ecpat.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ECPAT-Summary-paper-on-Sexual-Exploitation-of-Children-in-Travel-and-Tourism-2020.pdf .

Kennedy KM, Flaherty GT. The risk of sexual assault and rape during international travel: implications for the practice of travel medicine. J Travel Med. 2015;22(4):282–4.

Lee VC, Sullivan PS, Baral SD. Global travel and HIV/STI epidemics among MSM: what does the future hold? Sex Health. 2017;14(1):51–8.

Lu TS, Holmes A, Noone C, Flaherty GT. Sun, sea and sex: a review of the sex tourism literature. Trop Dis Travel Med Vaccines. 2020;6(1):24.

Minhaj FS, Ogale YP, Whitehill F, Schultz J, Foote M, Davidson W, et al. Monkeypox Outbreak—Nine States, May 2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022;71(23):764–9.

Newman WJ, Holt BW, Rabun JS, Phillips G, Scott CL. Child sex tourism: extending the borders of sexual offender legislation. Int J Law Psychiatry. 2011;34(2):116–21.

Svensson P, Sundbeck M, Persson KI, Stafstrom M, Östergren P-O, Mannheimer L, et al. A meta-analysis and systematic literature review of factors associated with sexual risk-taking during international travel. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2018;24:65–88.

Truong HM, Fatch R, Grasso M, Robertson T, Tao L, Chen YH, et al. Gay and bisexual men engage in fewer risky sexual behaviors while traveling internationally: a cross sectional study in San Francisco. Sex Transm Infect. 2015;91(3):220–5.

US Department of Justice. Extraterritorial sexual exploitation of children. Available from: www.justice.gov/criminal-ceos/extraterritorial-sexual-exploitation-children .

Vivancos R, Abubakar I, Hunter PR. Foreign travel, casual sex, and sexually transmitted infections: systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Infect Dis. 2010;14(10):e842–51.

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Notice to US citizens: Your actions abroad may have serious consequences

WASHINGTON – American tourists, with twisted overseas travel plans to engage in child sex tourism, may think they are beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement. However, they should know that it is a priority for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to apprehend and prosecute U.S. citizens who engage in sexual acts with minors in foreign countries.

Millions of American citizens travel abroad on a regular basis. While the vast majority of them are law abiding, some commit sexual crimes against minors in foreign countries. Each year, over a million children are exploited in the global commercial sex trade. Child sex tourism involves people who travel from their home country to another and engage in commercial sex acts with children. Child sex tourism is a shameful assault on the dignity of children and a form of child abuse and violence. For the minors involved, these acts have devastating consequences, which may include long-lasting physical and psychological trauma, disease, drug addiction, unwanted pregnancy, malnutrition, social ostracism and possibly death.

Tourists engaging in child sex tourism often travel to developing countries looking for anonymity and the availability of children in prostitution. The crime is typically fueled by weak local law enforcement, corruption, the Internet, ease of travel and poverty. These sexual offenders come from all socio-economic backgrounds and may hold positions of trust. Previous arrests for child sex tourism involving U.S. citizens have included: a pediatrician, a retired Army sergeant, a dentist, a Peace Corps volunteer and a university professor.

In 2003, the United States strengthened its ability to fight child sex tourism by passing the Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today Act (PROTECT Act) and the Trafficking Victim's Protection Reauthorization Act. These laws carry penalties of up to 30 years in prison for engaging in child sex tourism. In the nine years since these laws were strengthened, HSI special agents have arrested 93 suspects on child sex tourism charges.

HSI has 73 offices in 47 foreign countries around the world that serve as the agency's liaison to counterparts in local government and law enforcement. HSI's attachés abroad are critical in investigating these crimes.

Just last week, Jesse Osmun, 33, a former Peace Corps volunteer, was sentenced in Hartford, Conn., to 15 years in prison for sexually abusing four girls, all under the age of 6, while he was a volunteer in South Africa. He never expected that HSI special agents would arrest him for crimes he committed nearly 8,000 miles away from his Connecticut home. HSI's office in Connecticut – working collaboratively with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut – has had two other recent cases involving child sex tourism. Edgardo Sensi was sentenced in January to 85 years in prison for production of child pornography and sexual tourism offenses related to his sexual abuse of minor girls in the United States and Nicaragua. Douglas Perlitz was sentenced in December 2010 to nearly 20 years in prison for sexually abusing 16 minor victims over the course of a decade in Haiti.

"I am proud to partner with HSI in prosecuting U.S. citizens who abuse children abroad," said U.S. Attorney David B. Fein, District of Connecticut. "I am hopeful that the cases we have successfully prosecuted in Connecticut will serve as a deterrent to others who would partake in these illegal acts. The Department of Justice will continue to devote resources to protecting children worldwide."

HSI's Child Exploitation Investigations Unit investigates the trans-border, large-scale production and distribution of images of child abuse, as well as individuals who travel abroad to engage in sex with minors. The unit employs the latest technology to collect evidence and track the activities of individuals and organized groups who sexually exploit children through the use of websites, chat rooms, newsgroups and peer-to-peer trading. These investigative activities are organized under Operation Predator, a program managed by the Child Exploitation Investigations Unit.

"If you are molesting children, I advise you to turn yourself in and get help," added Vincent. "The law will catch up to you no matter where you are. If you continue your crimes against children, you should always be looking over your shoulder because we will hunt you down to the ends of the earth in order to protect innocent children from being violated. There will be no refuge for child sexual predators who believe that they may victimize children outside the United States. No place is too distant or too remote to escape the attention of HSI."

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Travel to another location for the purposes of buying sex. Travel usually occurs from a place where prostitution is illegal to one where it is legal, little policed, or significantly cheaper, and can take place within a country or between nations. It is also infused with cultural ideas of sexuality and exoticism. The travel is either organized within the tourism sector, or from outside using its structures and networks. It is thought to be worth several billion dollars a year and contributes to the practice of sex ... ...

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Sex Tourism

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Hazel Andrews 3 &
Kevin A. Yelvington 4

The relationship between tourism and sex is well established. A pioneering ethnography of tourism in The Gambia identified female, Swedish tourists searching for romance and sex with young, local men looking to earn money (Wagner 1977 ). This study is typical of the connections between sex and tourism in that it highlights the commodification of an exoticized and eroticized cultural Other. For example, another study focused on local women providing long-term companionship and intimacy for European men in Kenya’s coastal tourism (Omondi and Ryan 2020 ). It draws attention to financial gains but highlights the emotional labor required of the women to perform the romantic basis of the relationships.

Despite many studies, sex tourism is not easily defined. Travel for engaging in sexual relations may mean state-involved commodified forms found in an overseas sex work industry like Amsterdam’s Redlight District or less commodified local forms. It may not involve actual sexual relationships as...

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Andrews, Hazel. 2011. The British on holiday: Charter tourism, identity and consumption . Bristol: Channel View Publications.

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de Jesus, Diego Santos Vieira. 2020. The boys of summer: Gay sex tourism in Rio de Janeiro. Advances in Anthropology 10 (2): 125–146.

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Omondi, Rose, and Chris Ryan. 2020. “Romantic entertainers” on Kenya’s coastal tourism: A case of sex tourism. Leisure Sciences 42 (3–4): 358–374.

Wagner, Ulla. 1977. Out of time and place – Mass tourism and charter trips. Ethnos 42 (1–2): 38–52.

Williams, Erica Lorraine. 2013. Sex tourism in Bahia: Ambiguous entanglements . Urbana: University of Illinois Press.

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Hazel Andrews

University of South Florida, Tampa, USA

Kevin A. Yelvington

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Jafar Jafari

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Honggen Xiao

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Andrews, H., Yelvington, K.A. (2023). Sex Tourism. In: Jafari, J., Xiao, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Tourism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01669-6_856-1

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01669-6_856-1

Received : 21 December 2021

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Published : 10 March 2024

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Here are the top 10 sex tourism destinations

From Europe to Southeast Asia, we list places that are known as destinations for sex tourism.

The sex tourism industry is worth billions with millions of sex workers scattered around the world (Photo: Pixabay)

It turns out that while planning for a vacation, there are people who actually are looking for places where they can have uninhibited sex – not necessarily with their partners.

Some people look at sexual encounters while travelling as a way of enhancing their travel experience. And to top it all, the sex tourism industry is worth billions with millions of sex workers, both legal and illegal scattered around the globe.

Here are 10 of the biggest sex tourism destinations around the world:

Germany : Prostitution and even street prostitution is wide spread and organised sector in Germany and it is completely legal. The country has a long history of sexual tourism with organised prostitution in the country dating back to the 1200’s AD. Interestingly, people join the flesh trade in Germany willingly and there are advertisements, and job offers through HR companies. Frauenhäuser ("women's houses") have always been a common part of German history and were looked upon as places which helped curb greater crimes by offering their services. The practice carries on till date.

Dominican Republic : Travellers to the Dominican Republic will see legal brothels, marriage parlours and prostitutes openly roaming around in many of the downtown areas of Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata. The Dominican Republic ranks fourth highest in the world among countries exporting large numbers of sex workers.

Spain: Party destinations in Spain that include Madrid, Ibiza and Barcelona which are known for their riveting club and bar scene have also become popular sex tourism destinations. Street that is known as the red light area.

Malaysia : While prostitution is illegal in Malaysia, it is still rampantly practiced and services are widely available. The demand is particularly high in places like Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh. Most of the sex workers are trafficked from neighbouring countries like China.

Kenya : While it is one of the countries in Africa which is relatively easier to visit, it also has one of the largest sex tourism industries on the continent. The country does not discourage the practice despite the high level of STDs and HIV prevalent. Interestingly, Kenya is a popular destination among older white women who want to 'buy' some time with a man. Children are lured into prostitution by tourists willing to pay handsomely for sex in secret locations.

The Netherlands: Often considered to be one of the most popular sex tourism destinations in the world. Prostitution is legal and regulated while Amsterdam’s, De Wallen, is the largest and most famous red-light district in the city and a famous destination for international sex tourism.

The Philippines : The country has a huge industry domestically with an estimated 800,000 men, women and children working in the trade. It is believed that the country’s international image as a sex destination was formed due to the ‘girlie’ bars that were prevalent during World War II.

Brazil : Another place where prostitution is legal, Brazil however says it is illegal to operate a brothel or to employ sex workers in any other way. Still, dozens of brothels fill the cities, where prostitutes engage in sexual activities.

Colombia : Colombian women are often considered to be one of the most beautiful women in the world, and perhaps this is one factor that has led to sex tourism flourishing in the country. While sex trade is completely legal here, the government is taking efforts to curb areas that re illegal, like child prostitution.

Thailand : The industry apparently started in the country during the Vietnam, war and is a legal profession here with over three million sex workers earning a livelihood in the country.

Tags: adult tourism , sex , destinations , germany , dominican republic , spain , malaysia , kenya , the netherlands , the philippines , brazil , colombia , thailand

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Equality Tasmania said it would write to all Catholic schools that distributed the archbishop's letter asking for a right of reply.

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COMMENTS

Sex tourism
Sex tourism is the practice of traveling to foreign countries, often on a different continent, with the intention of engaging in sexual activity or relationships in exchange for money or lifestyle support. This practice predominantly operates in countries where sex work is legal. The World Tourism Organization of the United Nations has ...
Is sex tourism against the law?
Sex tourism is illegal when it involves sex with minors. At least three states also make promoting sex tourism illegal (regardless of whether the prostitute is a minor or adult). ... Federal law and sex tourism. Federal law makes it a crime for American citizens and U.S. residents to travel—between states or to a foreign country—to have sex ...
Sex Tourism
Sex tourism is travel for the specific purpose of having sex, typically with commercial sex workers. It is different from having casual sex during travel with fellow travelers or locals. ... Although commercial sex work may be legal in some parts of the world, sex trafficking, sex with a minor, and child pornography are ALWAYS criminal ...
What is Federal Sex Tourism, and What Are the Consequences?
If you commit federal sex tourism crimes abroad, you can still be prosecuted in the United States. 18 U.S.C. Section 2423(c): Engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places - U.S. citizens and legal residents are prohibited from going to another country and molesting or raping a child, or paying to have sex with a child.
Citizen's Guide To U.S. Federal Law On The Extraterritorial Sexual
Finally, Section 2423(d) makes it a crime to be what is known informally as being a "child sex tour operator." This statute makes it an offense to profit by facilitating the travel of U.S. Citizens or legal permanent residents, knowing that they are traveling for the purpose of engaging in illegal sex with a minor.
Criminal Division
The extraterritorial sexual exploitation of children is the act of traveling to a foreign country and engaging in sexual activity with a child in that country. Federal law prohibits an American citizen or resident to travel to a foreign country with intent to engage in any form of sexual conduct with a minor (defined as persons under 18 years ...
22 U.S. Code § 212a
Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the Secretary of State may, prior to revocation, limit a previously issued passport or passport card only for return travel to the United States, or may issue a limited passport or passport card that only permits return travel to the United States.
Sun, sea and sex: a review of the sex tourism literature
Sex tourism is defined as travel planned specifically for the purpose of sex, generally to a country where prostitution is legal. While much of the literature on sex tourism relates to the commercial sex worker industry, sex tourism also finds expression in non-transactional sexual encounters. This narrative review explores current concepts related to travel and sex, with a focus on trans ...
Sun, sea and sex: a review of the sex tourism literature
Background. Sex tourism is defined as travel planned specifically for the purpose of sex, generally to a country where prostitution is legal. While much of the literature on sex tourism relates to the commercial sex worker industry, sex tourism also finds expression in non-transactional sexual encounters. This narrative review explores current ...
Sex Tourism
Sex tourism is essentially the amalgamation of the public sphere of people's travels with the private sphere of human sexuality. Although people have always traveled and also engaged in sex ...
Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism
Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism. Women, girls, and other vulnerable people are often trafficked domestically or internationally to meet demand. Equality Now was one of the first human rights organizations to recognize the link between "sex tourism" and sex trafficking, and to focus on shutting down sex tour operators.
Sex & Travel
Sex Tourism. Travel for the specific purpose of procuring sex is considered "sex tourism," and sex tourism destinations frequently are countries where commercial sex is legal. In some countries, sex tourism supports sex trafficking, among the largest and most lucrative criminal industries in the world.
Notice to US citizens: Your actions abroad may have serious
For media inquiries about ICE activities, operations, or policies, contact the ICE Office of Public Affairs at (202) 732-4242. American tourists, with twisted overseas travel plans to engage in child sex tourism, may think they are beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement. However, they should know that it is a priority for ICE's HSI to ...
Implications of Sexual Tourism
Implications of Sexual Tourism. October 27, 2017. Within the last 20 years, the number of international travellers has more than doubled and is expected to reach 1.8 billion by 2030. The growth of the travel and tourism industry has many positive outcomes for individuals and their communities, but it can also increase risks among vulnerable ...
Sex tourism
sex tourism. Travel to another location for the purposes of buying sex. Travel usually occurs from a place where prostitution is illegal to one where it is legal, little policed, or significantly cheaper, and can take place within a country or between nations. It is also infused with cultural ideas of sexuality and exoticism.
PDF Sun, sea and sex: a review of the sex tourism literature
Sex tourism is defined as travel planned specifically for the purpose of sex, generally to a country where prostitution is legal. While much of the literature on sex tourism relates to the commercial sex worker industry, sex tourism also finds expression in non-transactional sexual encounters. This narrative review explores current concepts ...
14
In this chapter, we examine the evolving definition of sex tourism. Through a comprehensive literature review focusing on Latin America and the Caribbean, we assess the long history of commodified sex and travel and the difficulties in defining the practice as exclusive to heterosexual men purchasing sex or as a phenomenon exclusive to the Global South.
Sex Tourism
Sex tourism exchanges must be understood within a broader political economy. This entails domestic class and power relations, and uneven economic and political structures wrought with systems of racism and sexism (Williams 2013). Much research explores sex tourism in less-developed countries. It draws attention to the sorts of relationships and ...
Combating child sex tourism
The Child Sex Tourism Prevention Project, launched in 2004 by the non-governmental organization World Vision, is an awareness-raising campaign in the United States. World Vision has also convened several workshops to fight CST in Cambodia, Thailand and Costa Rica. ECPAT "Offenders Beware Project" increases awareness and knowledge of sexual ...
Here are the top 10 sex tourism destinations
Prostitution is legal and regulated while Amsterdam's, De Wallen, is the largest and most famous red-light district in the city and a famous destination for international sex tourism.
[PDF] Sexual Exploitation of Children in Tourism: Child and Youth
Child-sex tourism is the commercial sexual exploitation of children by people who travel from one location to another and take part in sexual acts with children and young people. Often they travel from a richer country to one that is less developed, but child-sex tourists may also be travellers within their own countries or regions.
Child sex tourism
Child sex tourism (CST) is tourism for the purpose of engaging in the prostitution of children, which is commercially facilitated child sexual abuse. The definition of child in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is "every human being below the age of 18 years". Child sex tourism results in both mental and physical consequences for the exploited children, which may include ...
Catholic archbishop's denouncement of 'transgender lobby', legal
This activist work culminated in the 2017 change to the legal definition of marriage to allow same sex couples to marry, following a public plebiscite." 'I didn't want to be gay': These three ...
The German government is softening its child pornography laws
The law leaves in place a minimum one-year jail sentence for the crime, but it will have a devastating effect on the safety of children as pedophiles who possess child pornography will likely face ...

What is Federal Sex Tourism and What are the Consequences?

Federal Laws Define the Crime of Sex Tourism

Consent Laws of Foreign Countries Do Not Apply to U.S. Citizens

Recent Case of Federal Sex Tourism

Contact the Attorneys at Wallin & Klarich to Learn More

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It Is Easier To Be Convicted Of A Sex Crime In California Than Other States: When Can Prior Uncharged Acts Be Admitted Against The Accused At Trial? Evidence Code Section 1108

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Sex Offender Registry: Life Sentence or Can You Be Removed?

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Extraterritorial Sexual Exploitation Of Children

22 U.S. Code § 212a - Restriction of passports for sex tourism

Sun, sea and sex: a review of the sex tourism literature

Andrea Holmes

Chris Noone

Gerard Thomas Flaherty

Associated Data

Conclusions

Literature search strategy

Epidemiology of sex and travel

Commercial sex work and travel

Sexually transmitted infections

The LGBTQ+ community and travel sex behaviour

The effects of alcohol and drugs on sex tourism

Sexual assault and violence in travellers

Child sex tourism

The effects of wealth and mobility on sex tourism

Impact of sex tourism on host communities

Future considerations in sex tourism

Limitations of current review

Acknowledgements

Authors’ contributions

Availability of data and materials

Consent for publication

Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism

Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism

What is Equality Now doing to end sexual exploitation in travel and tourism?

Our Impact: Tackling Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism

Passing First US State Law Against Sex Tourism

Calling on the US Government to End Sex Tourism

First Sex Tourism Conviction in New York State

Standing Up for Exploited Girls

Sex & Travel

Sex While Traveling

Casual Consensual Sex

Box 9-14 Factors associated with higher frequency of casual or unprotected sex abroad

Men Who Have Sex With Men

Sex Tourism

Sexual Violence & Assault

Post–Sexual Assault Medical Care

Sex Trafficking & Sexual Exploitation of Children

Sex With Minors

Child Pornography

Sexual Exploitation of Children

Combatting Sexual Exploitation of Children

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Sexually Transmitted Infections

Epidemiology

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Here are the top 10 sex tourism destinations

Tags: adult tourism , sex , destinations , germany , dominican republic , spain , malaysia , kenya , the netherlands , the philippines , brazil , colombia , thailand