Will Thailand shed its image as a sex tourism destination?

[janpharma]

As long as police and government are involved as they are now...it will never change.

[hugh2121]

2 hours ago, stubuzz said:

The money made from sex tourism supports a lot of poor families in the north and north-east. Stopping it would be a major blow to the economy.

Not to mention tourism in general.

[impulse]

They'd certainly have to change the name of the capital.

 

East Vatican would make mine shrivel up when I land...

 

[Thaidream]

As long as the military remains in power and behind the scene pulls the strings- they will attempt to clean up the sex industry because they feel it hurts Thailand's overall reputation.

 

They are mostly after the overt stuff like soi Cowboy; Nana Plaza; Walking Street and Soi 6 as well as parts of Samui and Phuket.  The purpose is to get the industry to move its operation to less obvious locations and to not have it with lights flashing ; barkers enticing customers to enter and generally displaying the 'goods' for the World to see (and the news media).

 

I really believe they have a plan which entails lessening the number of single Western tourists; getting rid of Walking Street and Cowboy and Nana and other ghettos which attract single Western men, The aforementioned are prime land areas so eventually big money will eliminate them without much fanfare and the developers will take over the space and make huge profits.  the bars and GoGo's will drift off into other less obvious places. It's already happening in Bangkok with once established bars being pushed out and moving farther out of the city.  In Pattaya, the movement will be towards Jomtien (already happening) and to the darkside. The powers that be want to gentrify Pattaya by attracting more Asian tourists (chinese) and middle class to high so Thai families.  That is why Walking Street will cease to exist in its current format and more malls; boutique promenades and Thai restaurants will emerge.

 

The sex industry will never fully go away but I can assure you it is no where near as vibrant now as it was 10 or 20 years ago. Decades ago it was not  the cutthroat business it is now. Most bars have to go through agencies to hire their 'staff' and there is no loyalty at all to the owners. In addition, the 'staff' are mostly hardened professionals whose sole goal is get what is in your wallet using fake smiles and  fake talk. It is not a 'fun' atmosphere at all and that is why the bar owners  want out and the customers are voting with their feet.

 

The golden days of Thailand as a destination for 'entertainment' has long passed. Anyone coming to Thailand simply for the 'trade' will be sorely disappointed and even the powers that be; the developers and the money people have realized it and are planning accordingly.

[kiniyow]

Take away all the Money Made from the Sex Trade and this place would be Hurting big time

[impulse]

46 minutes ago, WhizBang said:

They cannot limit their crackdown to ONLY foreigners who want to pay for play.  They need to go after the Thais who pay for play too.  The Thai market dwarfs the tourist/foreigner market.

 

Sure, but just like the local gambling, cock fighting, underage brothels, and human trafficking, tourists are pretty much oblivious to a lot of the things that Thais do.

 

It would be just as easy to keep the tourists oblivious to local focused prostitution, too.

 

[Bluespunk]

Most of the sex industry caters to Thais.

 

 

[Epidemiologist Dave]

1 hour ago, evadgib said:

The domestic element dwarfs anything involving f-f-foreigners...

Correct. The Americans are often wrongly blamed for starting the industry while in Thailand for R&R during  the Vietnam war but they were only tapping into an already and still thriving local industry.

[jollyhangmon]

Nope, not in this life.

What? All those working-girls actually 'working' 4 a (more frugal) living?? 

Good one ...  

[55Jay]

2 hours ago, stubuzz said:

The money made from sex tourism supports a lot of poor families in the north and north-east. Stopping it would be a major blow to the economy.

And force the Government to acknowledge that as a symptom of the root cause behind it. 

[AGareth2]

13 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Oh what a glorious time I had in my mid-20's to mid-30's.

jolly good show

[KIWIBATCH]

The biggest users of prostitutes in this country are Thai men....the % of foreign "sex" tourists using the available "services" is miniscule by comparison.

[LannaGuy]

Thais are not great at much but coups, lying and censored they are experts in

[Moonmoon]

Don't blame the sexpats. They are only a small percentage of the population in Thailand.

 

The main bulk of customers are still the citizens themselves.

 

How to shed? Better not and regulate it so sex workers can have laws to protect them, and government can collect taxes, and everyone can have happy endings.

 

WIN WIN.

[evadgib]

34 minutes ago, DavetheGreek said:

Correct. The Americans are often wrongly blamed for starting the industry while in Thailand for R&R during  the Vietnam war but they were only tapping into an already and still thriving local industry.

The only thing they started was 'ferang price' ?

[55Jay]

3 hours ago, impulse said:

 

The laws could stop it in a heartbeat if they arrested the customers as well as the hookers.  Demand would dry up (or just move elsewhere) after a few name and shame articles back home, plus the added scrutiny of crossing back into the home country after an overseas arrest on prostitution charges shows up tied to the passport.

That would work, not 100% but it would put a good sized dent in it from the "farang" end of the equation once the naming and shaming went viral.   But the approach reminds me of the effort in the War on Drugs, targeting users and street level dealers. 

 

I've seen your other posts on the thread and right, the shit Thais (and other Asians) get up to here is under-reported.  Farangs shagging unhappy but mostly willing bar girls in Nana, is low hanging fruit.

Edited May 28, 2017 by 55Jay
typo

[soalbundy]

Yes, 55555555555555

[Shaunduhpostman]

That the cops declared Soi 6 in Pattaya to be free of prostitution a few months back tells you right there that even the relatively hard line sounding crackdown that took place was/is not a serious attempt to shut things down.

 

However, I suppose it is possible that the foreign sex tourist industry would shut it self down by becoming too expensive, nasty, not lucrative enough for anyone to be bothered anymore etc. Many moan about how it is no longer any fun, Pattaya, Soi Cowboy etc don't seem to be as popular as they once were and are increasingly becoming more normal tourist fun zones. Many of the girls no longer offer sex services, the ubiquitous coyote girls are just there to grab drinks and tips without doing much else. That scenario would be unthinkable at the height of Thailand's sex tourism days back in the 90's. So it seems things are already morphing away from Thailand as a sex tourism provider.

 

 Tho I have never been to New Orleans, it seems to me that once upon a time certain neighborhoods were similar to say Walking street in Pattaya. But today those same areas, I think Bourbon Street, are these kind of drinking and carousing Disneylands that look fun enough and sort of look like Walking Street minus the gogo bars. 

 

Still tho,  what happened to New Orleans was undoubtedly a gradual process and New Orleans still seems to have a lingering reputation despite a century having passed since it was a huge red light town permeated with brothels. Tho for me, its reputation as the birthplace of jazz and its annual giant week long blues festival is way more of a draw than the reputation of say Storyville or the Vieux Carre which I think were once these massive redlight districts. Problem with Thailand is that it simply doesn't have such an awesome heritage to replace the salacious allure factor as the main draw it currently enjoys.

 

Everything changes and all things come to an end, so I would say yes eventually Thailand will shed it's reputation and the industry will morph in some other direction perhaps catering more to Asian rather than European culture based tourists, or perhaps there will some massive historical sea change such as a massive war fought in Asia which would have an impact. Of course even if they successfully shut everything down today, it would be decades before the rest of the world wrapped its head around what had happened. There will always be money to be made even if it is selling say Walking Street as the once upon a time red light zone filled with wax museums and flashy neon drinkerias and boogaloo parlours. So to make a short answer long, yes it will eventually change, I think a better question would be how long will it take or what do you think would cause the shedding of its reputation or "image"?

Edited May 28, 2017 by Shaunduhpostman

[Lemonltr]

3 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

Apart from rice it's almost all they have to sell

But is it fragrant? Hawm Mali - (Fragrant rice!)

[55Jay]

Anyway, I voted no.  Long as the Thai government's focus is on themselves and not improving the country in any significant way, which doesn't include submarines, then the underlying economics of the trade, will remain. 

 

As/if conditions improve, fewer women will be willing to be sweated on by some older fat guy.  Those who remain in the game will command a higher price ala supply & demand.  When quick sex costs 3,000 Baht instead of 700~1,000, farangs will shift elsewhere.  Fewer punters, fewer working girls.

 

Where to?  Dunno.  Seems Cambodia is touted on the internet as being like Thailand was 20 years ago.  Vietnam?  Is PI too much of an American-centric has been?  Maybe that's a good topic for the next poll.  Where will the new SE Asian Red Light Valhalla be located?

Edited May 28, 2017 by 55Jay

[jaiyen]

3 hours ago, stubuzz said:

The money made from sex tourism supports a lot of poor families in the north and north-east. Stopping it would be a major blow to the economy.

And dont forget the money made by the corrupt police force who let it happen and own some of the bars and massage shops. So the answer is   NEVER !

[Thaidream]

All of it is changing as we speak.  Owners wanting to sell because they can't make a good living; tired of harassment; unable to find 'staff'.  

The change is very noticeable in Bangkok- whole streets have lost their bars and converted to restaurants; massage parlors or condo developments.  One of the things pushing the changes are that land prices are so high that those bars who were doing fine can no longer afford the 'rent' which is increasing at unbelievable rates. These bars , if possible, are headed further away from Central City simply out of necessity.

I seriously doubt that in the next 10 years Nana Plaza or Soi Cowboy will exist. NOt when a square wah of land is going for 1 million Baht and developers salivating over the space all these bars occupy.  The government doesn't have to do anything- simple economics and money will solve the issue.  A bar can only raise its prices so high to cover rent increase or higher excise taxes on alcohol.

 

Pattaya is somewhat different but land prices there are also climbing and developers want more 5 star hotels and malls so as to attract the Bangkok Hi So and wealthy Asian tourists. If they put in Casino gambling- most of the bar scene will be forced to relocate. Walking street will go away once the seaside places are demolished and the the government continues its push on gentrification. Walking Street is one of the eyesores that the foreign press always mentions and for that fact the government wants to eliminate it. If it lasts 5 more years- I would be surprised.

[Destiny1990]

I can name u many european countries with more prostitution going on then in Thailand besides that i do not see the problem.

in my home country Thailand is more famous for its  thai food, thai beaches ,thai boxing ,thai smile ,thai massages,thai temples than of some redlight district that u can find in any big city worldwide.

Edited May 28, 2017 by Destiny1990

[JAG]

Most of the sex industry caters to Thais.
 
 

Indeed, but the "image" is that it caters to foreigners. And "image" rather than reality is what matters.

[Shroud]

If there's a strategy to get rid of it and serious talk about it, you need a national policy and the support of the people to drive it out. Although it would take decades to restore Thailands image.

 

Just like Berlin in the 1920s

https://youtu.be/A2ZBAtCq868?t=5m15s

 

 

Edited May 28, 2017 by Shroud

[Tofer]

4 hours ago, ezzra said:

Yes it will... right after all corruptions and nepotism will be no more and right about the same time when foreigners will be treated equally as the Thai people... Or not....

 

Don't hold your breath...

[Artisi]

If the major client base is Thai, as reported many times previously, targeting the foreign players will make bugger all difference, so what's the point of the survey - it's meaningless. 

[the guest]

They could shut down the sex trade instantly if they wanted to, but it brings in too much revenue for the country. 

[starky]

Might as well ask if you can get rid of the sex industry in any country. Although Thailands is heavily in decline IMO most of the old school "sexpats" havent got long on the planet then whats left will just be a bit of a sideshow for normal tourists as it has already started to become. The Thai side of the industry though will continue to flourish. In a country where you  can own as many mia nois as you can afford there will always be pretty poor girls and rich old guys that want to own them. West isnt much different except the acceptability of how many mistresses you can have.

[bkk6060]

Sure,  if they shut down the Internet as that is where most of these ladies can be contacted anyway.