Carly Jensen- Sex Tourism

The article Bodies, Borders, and Sex Tourism in a Globalized World: A Tale of Two Cities- Amsterdam and Havana, discusses the connection between globalization and sex tourism.  The article opens with a broad definition of globalization; “ Globalization is characterized by unprecedented movement of material, information, finance, and bodies across borders.” This definition offers a picture of how migration and tourism have impacted different locales, especially through the concept of tourism. Tourism can be extremely important to the international economy and the prosperity of each destination. The article defines a tourist as somebody who both wants to experience a foreign culture but at the same time continuously passes judgment on the foreign culture. I find this idea as interesting especially after reading the article. It is apparent that many of the practices within the sex tourist industries, in Havana and Amsterdam, were influenced by global forces and are not direct reflections on the native cultures. With this in mind I find it hypocritical that tourists who venture to such destinations pass judgment on the sex industry as if it an isolated cultural practice. When analyzing the different industries it is apparent that the global influence that comes with globalization and tourism heavily influence the culture of the sex trade industry.

In the analysis of Havana and the lack of organization and governmental control it becomes apparent that the relationship between sex tourism and the global market is critical to the industry itself. In Havana the increased globalization lead to currency laws that allowed for US currency to be accepted.  This ultimately led to a more stable sex tourism industry and a bigger market, in addition to meeting the demand of foreign consumers in Havana. In particular the opening of “dollar stores” meant that prostitutes were given a way to contribute to the local economy and escape the “black market”. This made it so that they were no longer second-class citizens working in an illegal market and the industry was legitimized. This shift towards a more globalized economy reflected the fact that Havana was becoming more tourists friendly and started to meet the desires of its visitors over the natives. Personally I see this evidence that the global forces of migration and travel had infiltrated the local market, and Havana was officially globalized. In comparison Amsterdam is also a huge tourist destination and its market and economy is dominated by foreign desires. As stated in the article much of the reason behind travel to Amsterdam is because of its “culture of sexual liberation”. This demand meant that the government had to become involved and prostitution needed to become a business. The idea of a professional prostitute was a byproduct of the demand for sexual tourism in Amsterdam. Global forces made the culture what is it. After reading the article I find it obvious that the sex tourism industry has been influenced by the recent surge in globalization as well as the increase in migration to sex tourist hot spots, like Havana and Amsterdam.