In the last few decades, sex tourism, particularly within Southeast Asia, has rocketed into a major industry for that region and become a magnet for men all around the world.  Millions of male visitors (both domestic and international) come to this region annually (Ackmar, 1997).  This profusion has led to an outcry from the global community, particularly feminist organizations who believe that prostitution is a crime committed against the bodies of women, and it only further asserts male domination. This paper seeks to explore under what circumstances one could expect to see a significant decline in sex tourism.  It posits that a major lifeline of this trade is linked to the severe economic catastrophe within this region, where it is common for families to send their daughters to the urban centers where they work and send home money. Similarly, it is such a strong source of revenue that many young men have undergone drastic sex change operations, often getting breasts implants and make-shift vaginas—hence the term Bangkok chickboy.

This paper argues that three major changes would need to take place for a significant reduction in sex tourism to come to

Changing economic disparities in Southeast Asia may reduce the number of rural migrants flooding into sex work. Montgomery argues that child prostitution is a symptom of a larger disease; poverty ( 1998). Many prostitutes choose sex work, and this fuels the sex industry because it creates a supply, and acts as a tourist attraction. However if women were employed in other industries the social acceptance of prostitution may fall. This would in turn, affect the industry because it would not be a The economic environment that rural migrants are born into is very limited in terms of oppurtunity; hence, changing this may change the number of those that accept this type of labor, or choose this type of employment. If the choices were broadened through state programs, education, and labor laws it would not be unreasonable to expect a decline in the number of sex workers, and consequently, a decline in its acceptance as a form of social behavior.

  The circumstances of the sex industry in Southeast Asia would experience significant reductions in size if the government was strengthened and political interests began to aim at both domestic and international tourist markets. The gap between the rich and the poor, or the gap between the rural areas and the cities in Asia has widened due to uneven growth and an unequal distribution of wealth. In creating a strong tourism foundation it may be beneficial to begin to explore rural and agricultural sections in Southeast Asia; consequently, the opportunity to pursue an alternative and sustainable form of tourism may arise. The smaller and more underdeveloped parts of Asia can only profit if ‘they’ band together and pursue a beneficial, and sustainable form of tourism on a national level. If the features mentioned above began to find their way into the interests of the governments and the people, there would inevitably be a drastic influence exerted on the scope and significance of sex tourism in Southeast Asia. There are three reasons why this would impact the sex markets in Asia: 1) decreasing economic disparities (Montgomery, 1995) may result in less of a need for children or women to sell their bodies for sustenance,2) promoting tourism with  aspects of educational/ eco-tourism/alternative tourism may raise awareness in tourists and subsequently affect their ‘wants’, and finally development of  the private-public  sector  on a national, and regional basis may stimulate  growth and encourage funding so that rural areas would begin to benefit from tourism profits and job markets.  Forms of sustainable tourism must accompany this type of change; with emphasis placed on balancing both domestic and international tourism. The voices of the localities would be dominant in the organization of tourism within their communities, and with the help of and provision of tourism services that gave careful consideration to the environment. The impoverishment faced by many families in rural Asia forces people to sell their daughters, their sisters or perhaps themselves to tourists seeking sex; however as Montgomery argues, destitute families in the agricultural areas of Southeast Asia have experienced the (Montgomery, 1995). Selling one’s body is no more degrading than picking up garbage all day, or being exploited by a large corporation that uses your body for its own gain. Montgomery’s informants were victims long before they started selling their bodies, and it is with this in mind that one should look towards the future of Southeast Asia.

  Sex workers in Southeast Asia have little employment options if they are born into a poor family. Sex work provides a viable opportunity for a child to meet the subsistence needs of the entire family. For example, the Philippines have been referred to as a nation living off of migrant workers (Pettman, 1997) ; in other words, the children working abroad in the sex industry send so much money home that they literally help sustain the

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