Following a call for reviews, I came across a recent publication, provocatively titled and promoted as follows:
"Sex Tourism in Africa Kenya's Booming Industry"
Illustrated by in-depth empirical research from Kenya – one of the most popular country destinations in Africa for sex tourism – this book gathers much-needed statistics and data, and then critically examines the features of tourism and the sex trade, contextualizing this in relation to tourism development. It addresses the conditions which generate this 'social problem' and, while not taking a potentially problematic moralistic stance it questions whether this trade is exploitative in nature, particularly in cases of child sex tourism. It then critically evaluates the current policies in place to regulate the sex tourism industry and provides suggestions for future direction.
The title must contain interesting data and such research is much needed to fully understand and combat the practice, however I wonder if it takes a whole book to "question" whether exploitation is exploitative?
I sincerely hope that most tourism academics are against this - admittedly common - practice which represents the worst type of Tourism, and a modern form of slavery (and imperialism) and produce research which does not simply argue for 'regulation' and 'taxation' as one more "industry".
To paraphrase Marx "academics have interpreted tourism in various ways—the point however is to change it".