Is Sex Tourism Intention Uncontrollable? The Moderating Effects of Ethics and Law

Abstract

This study explores one of the biggest social issues in South Korea, that is, sex tourism, which is illegal but remains in high demand. The study recruited a total of 1,003 respondents, whose responses were analyzed to understand their intentions for sex tourism. Study 1 revealed that sex tourism intention was largely influenced by subjective norms and moderated by ethical awareness and knowledge of illegality. In Study 2, sex tourism intention non-significantly differed across three scenarios of traveling, namely, to a general destination; to an area where prostitution is legal by local law; and with companions with positive opinions about sex tourism. However, Studies 3 and 4 found that the extent to which reminders and warnings about ethics and illegality reduced sex tourism intention differed according to the scenario. The results suggest that sex tourism intention is conditional and controllable, and, thus, government interventions are justified.

Scientific Research Production on Sex Tourism: A Bibliometric Analysis (1988-2023)

“…In other cases, it is associated with sex trafficking that occurs parallel to mega sporting events. In the same vein, there is evidence linking sex tourism to strippers and those who identify as transgender workers (Jeong & Lee, 2023;Matheson & Finkel, 2013;Ocha & Earth, 2013;Ryan & Martin, 2001;Yan et al, 2018).…”

“…Based on the review of the literature, it is possible to add the following characteristics related to sex tourism: (a) it is not a form of deviance, and the tourist's behaviour must be socially acceptable (Ryan & Kinder, 1996); (b) it focuses on the behaviour and interaction between the tourist and the locals (Berdychevsky et al, 2013); (c) it is considered a relational economy because it is founded on the connection between masculinity and the value product (Rivers-Moore, 2012); d) beauty and exoticism have an influence on sex consumption (Rivers-Moore, 2013); e) in many places, sex tourism is considered an illegal activity, but it is acknowledged to be in high demand (Jeong & Lee, 2023); and f) it is associated with sex trafficking and hospitality (Aston et al, 2022).…”