User talk:Pashley/STP

Sex tourism, for this discussion, is travel that includes engaging in sexual activities which might be illegal or less available in other areas.

Prohibited topics

No sexually-oriented activity should be mentioned if it is not clear that everyone involved is a freely consenting adult. The one exception is the publication of warnings intended to prevent travellers from becoming victims of sexual assault or other crime.

Illegal activity

In general, any activity that is illegal in the destination should not be mentioned at all per Wikivoyage:Illegal activities policy.

There are two exceptions:

if it is so common that travellers are almost certain to encounter it then it should be mentioned, and the text must include a warning that it is illegal.
if it poses a risk to travellers, safety warnings should be given.

This includes warnings for countries where the penalties for some sexual activities (e.g. homosexuality or hiring a prostitute) are exceptionally severe.

If it is not completely clear that an exception applies, either just leave it out or start a talk page discussion seeking other opinions on whether the exception is valid.

Child molestation

Sometimes the term "sex tourism" is used specifically to refer to travel for the purpose of sex with minors. Any information on that is entirely unacceptable here and will be deleted on sight. Anyone posting such material is likely to be banned from the site.

Many Western countries have laws which allow prosecution of their citizens for child molesting, even if the act takes place in another country, and the penalties are heavy. Also, the countries where such activity takes place are cracking down on it. A Canadian with a penchant for young boys served five years in Thailand and more time in Canada; Cambodia wants to extradite him and presumably give him another sentence.

The exceptions mentioned above for most illegal activities do not apply to this:

Sex with kids should not be mentioned no matter how common it might be in some places
Warnings which protect pedophiles should not be given.

In rare cases a warning to protect children might be appropriate, for example if travellers' kids are at risk of kidnapping. However, any such warning should first be discussed on the article's talk page and added to the article only if a consensus is reached that it is actually needed.

Allowed topics

Other sex-related topics, permitted with varying restrictions on level of detail, include:

singles bars and other pickup spots
gay bars and saunas; see also LGBT travel
prostitution
strip clubs or other sexy shows
fetish clubs
shopping for sex toys, fetish clothing or other "adult" merchandise
nude or topless beaches and other nudist destinations

For many destinations, these activities are an important aspect of tourism. For example, all of the following should be described:

Amsterdam's red light district is a major tourist attraction, even for those who aren't soliciting prostitutes.
Bangkok gogo bars, which offer sex shows and prostitutes
Toronto/Church-Wellesley gay district
San Francisco/Tenderloin, famous for strip clubs
Japan's love hotels

However, the goal is to provide general information for travellers, not to provide a guide for sex tourism.

Acceptable level of detail

All we want in our descriptions is enough information for travellers to find or avoid these services, as suits them.

General information such as the location of the red light district or telling a visitor what to expect — especially if it is not what might be expected elsewhere — is fine.

Warnings about overpriced tourist traps, about any scams practiced on tourists, about particularly high risks of sexual diseases, or about legal risks should be given where appropriate.

Going into detail is discouraged.

For example:

In describing Bangkok gogo bars, one should mention that there is a "bar fine" to take a woman out of the bar before closing time plus a separate fee for her services. This is something travellers might not expect.
In describing Lotus Road in Zhuhai, one might say that there are hordes of streetwalkers, despite prostitution being illegal in China. This is one of the exceptions to the illegal activity rule because it is a popular drinking spot and an adult male cannot have a drink there without getting several offers.

In both cases, more detail would be inappropriate. For example, do not discuss prices, or what sorts of sexual services are on offer, or which go-go bar has the hottest women.

Description, but no listings

For most of the above topics, creating listings for the businesses involved is OK — for example, strip clubs or gay bars can be listed at any destination where going to one wouldn't make a patron subject to immediate arrest — but there are some exceptions.

Do not create listings or provide contact details for establishments that exist for the express purpose of sexual activity — for example, brothels or "on-premises" fetish clubs — or for places whose business is based on prostitution — such as gogo bars in Thailand. It is OK to mention the district, just not specific businesses.

Sex shops should be listed only if they are quite remarkable in some way likely to be of interest to travellers, such as being really huge or catering mainly to the tourist trade. If there is a whole area of such shops, just describe the area but not specific shops.

Writing style

All Wikivoyage style considerations apply here as they do elsewhere. Avoid information which is outside the project scope — local businesses which are not specifically relevant to travellers, yellow page listings or external links to "review" sites are best omitted.

Wikivoyage has general policies against attempts to use the site as a marketing tool — see Wikivoyage:Goals and non-goals and Wikivoyage:Don't tout — and these will be enforced more strictly for businesses based on sex than for hotels, restaurants, etc, since marketing for these is more likely to offend readers.

Do not use euphemisms for sex or prostitution, for example "massage" should be used strictly for its dictionary meaning and not as a euphemism for prostitution. Expressions like single males will be happy at this hotel, should be avoided in favor of direct language.