Female sex tourism is a phenomenon describing travel undertaken by women for the purpose of having sex. Female sex tourists are predominantly white and over the age of 35 – many of them struggle to have relationships with men in their home countries and so travel to other countries where they can hire the services of a local male gigolo. Gigolos receive money, gifts, food and accommodation for their services.
The most popular destinations for female sex tourists are Southern Europe (in particular Italy and Greece), the Caribbean islands, Southeast Asia (mainly Thailand and Indonesia) and Africa.
Many female sex tourists are seemingly unaware or unconcerned by the health implications of sex tourism. The countries most widely associated with sex tourism also have relatively high rates of AIDS and HIV, something which does not put female sex tourists off their travels. This is particularly worrying because many women are not concerned about the potential risks of infection enough to ask their partners to wear a condom. Prima-med warn against the risks of sex tourism and advise that all possible precautions be taken in order to avoid the risk of infection.
