I'm a bit slow in my reply to this thread.  The subject of Gender in Tourism
is very much larger than that of the creepy world of the sex trade. If that
is the topic, why not call it The Sex Trade in Tourism?
But Gender connotes much more. For example male and female ownership of
tourist facilities - hotels, agencies; hosting and hostessing and guiding;
gender influences in decor, ambience; male and female guests and their
differential relationships to the tourist operation; concpetualization of
the tourist facility. One could go on ad infinitum.
There are complex and usually healthy aspects to gender in tourism.
Yes?

Cyril Belshaw
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask]
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Neil
Carr
Sent: Sunday, August 06, 2000 5:49 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Gender in tourism studies


I must admit I was getting a little worried that the list had died, until I
was reminded that in the northern hemisphere the summer vacation is in full
flow. To make further comment on the issue of gender studies in tourism I
most certainly agree that there was a need to study women although I wonder
about the claim that academic studies in general before the rise of gender
studies were really understanding men. I think that agruement may be
alluding to stereotypes rather than reality. While I'm all for the idea of
studying the relationships and interactions of the genders and people of all
sexualities I'm concerned now that while we have a relatively clear idea of
a number of issues attached to hetrosexual women other groups and in
particular the hetrosexual male remain poorly understood outside of the
standard stereotypical beliefs. I think this colours the way such things as
the hetrosexual men being taken back to Scandinavia by women tourists is
popularised in the media. The whole image of the male gigalo in the tourist
resort is more often presented in a positive light and the idea of being
taken as some sex toy back to the tourists place of origin is viewed with
humor. Contrast this with the men who take women back to the place of origin
after their vacation. These male tourists are looked down on by the media as
dirty old men engaged in an illict trade.

Let the discussion continue please its great to see so many thoughts coming
forward. Unfortunately I'll be away at a conference in Korea for the next
week so if anyone emails me expecting a reply don't worry I will get back in
touch eventually.

Cheers

Neil


Dr Neil Carr
Lecturer in Tourism Management
University of Queensland
11 Salisbury Road
Ipswich
Qld 4305
Australia
Tel (07) 33811319
E-mail [log in to unmask]

Owner of tourismanthropology discussion group
----- Original Message -----
From: David Harrison <[log in to unmask]>
To: Nancie Gonzalez <[log in to unmask]>
Cc: Anthropology Tourism <[log in to unmask]>; Neil Carr
<[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, August 05, 2000 2:31 AM
Subject: Re: Gender in tourism studies


> OK, folks: I'd like to add my two pennyworth to the debate
> on gender and tourism.
>
> I did to try to cover it a little in Tourism and Less
> Developed Countries, and the article by Sylvia Chant in
> that book is especially relevant.  In addition, I am
> currently producing a completely new version of that text
> (i.e. a totally new book!) and hope to revisit the subject
> there, as well as focusing on it in a single-authored book,
> which is still on the stocks.
>
> However:
>
> 1. I rather have the impression that in development studies
> generally there has been a movement away from looking at
> women specifically in favour of examining the RELATIONS of
> women with men, and how these are changed in development
> processes.  It is a move I welcome, partly because I am not
> sure that men per se, WERE a focus of earlier work, and in
> any case because I'd rather concentrate on the processes
> involved in relationships.
>
> 2.  There is some evidence in tourism (as elsewhere) that
> new employment opportunities for women can have quite
> radical implications for their relations with men.  I am
> reminded of Sylvia's intimation that once women in
> Mexico found jobs in tourism they were much less prepared
> (quite literally) to be manhandled by the men, and much
> more willing to take their children and move out. How one
> regards THAT, of course, depends on a range of other
> opinions about development, but I know where I stand, even
> if it means a threat to local 'culture.'
>
> 3.  There is a growing literature on women's involvement
> as clients in sex tourism - referred to in one article, as
> I recall, as 'massaging their sexual identities' (which
> makes it all right then, and thus not at all like male sex
> tourists???!)
>
> 4. The book edited by Vivian Kinnaird and Derek Hall
> (Tourism: A Gender Analysis) is clearly relevant to the
> debate.  Ditto Thea Sinclair's book, Gender, Work and
> Tourism, which has several papers by anthropologists.
>
> 5. Some other random comments: a) the role of tourism in
> the opening in the UK of quite a few Thai restaurants?  Or
> restaurants of any other kind?  b) as Nancy suggests, some
> work on the role of tourism in introducing foreign women as
> affines into families in former 'host' societies? And the
> implications in terms of culture change for this process.
> Lots of anecdotal evidence, but not much disciplined
> research?  c) the need for proper research on
> more general host-guest interaction in destination areas
> and how this relates to men, women and the 'demonstration
> effect' (which seems more often than not to refer to women
> getting 'wrong' ideas about how to behave! d) Some work has
> been done on toy boys from the Gambia who have been taken
> by women of mature age to Scandinavia. A case of being left
> out in the cold, both literally and metaphorically. e) I
> have often come across women (and men) in the hospitality
> business in the South Pacific being invited by guests at
> hotels to visit them in their home countries, and having
> their trips paid for, too. This must be worth following up
> at some point.
>
> Hope that is of some interest.
>
> Have to dash,
>
> Best wishes to all,
>
> David
>
> On Fri, 04 Aug 2000 09:37:09 -0400 Nancie Gonzalez
> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > Dear Neil,
> >     I have not seen any responses to your recent thoughtful letter, and
> > since I am relatively new to the list and have not previously offered
> > anything for discussion, I thought I might do so at this point.  It
occurs
> > to me that you are both right and wrong.  The whole notion of gender
studies
> > sprang forth from the years during which the term "men" or "man" was
said to
> > have "embraced women" as well, when we all know that it really didn't.
In
> > tourism, as in many other domains, most studies have rather ignored the
> > issue, since emphasis has been on the "community" or the category itself
(of
> > either hosts or guests) - its economy, politics, etc.  But since in the
> > majority of world communities it is the men who dominate, women have
largely
> > been forgotten, with the assumption that whatever benefits or disasters
may
> > have ensued, would affect women, as well as men - in a trickle-down way,
if
> > nothing else.
> >    I am concerned, not that we have no studies of men in tourism, but
that
> > we have little information about the interactions between men and women
and
> > how they may be affected by participation in tourism - whether among
> > tourists or their "hosts."  We know  little about the Caribbean
"toyboys" or
> > gigolos, and what this activity means for them after the girls go home,
> > about the men who marry tourists in order to emigrate, about the pimps
and
> > prostitutes of both sexes, and about the men and women who seek sexual
> > experiences in touristy places.
> >     Neither do we have much information on how the encounters with
different
> > gender definitions may affect peoples' lives after they return home or
after
> > the visitors have returned home.  And here I am talking about men and
> > women's different sexual orientations, but also about expectations
> > concerning how men and women are supposed to act, participate in their
own
> > societies, etc.
> >     I live in Guatemala, having retired from the University of
Maryland's
> > Department of Anthropology several years ago.  Although tourism is one
of
> > the major industries here, it is virtually unstudied by social
scientists.
> > We are making a beginning at the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala,
where
> > we have majors in both anthropology and in alternative tourism.  I would
be
> > interested to hear other comments on these issues, and if there is
> > literature on these subjects, to have references.  Gender expectations
are
> > changing here, but it is not clear to me how much tourism has been
> > responsible.  More importantly, perhaps, have been increasing
opportunities
> > for women to work in factories (and thus not in their own or other
peoples'
>
> > homes), increasing emigration to the U.S., with resulting
transnationalism,
> > and advertising - especially on television.  The other side of that
coin -
> > how visits here by foreign tourists may affect their own notions of
gender -
> > is totally unknown to me.
> >      So, hopefully, we can get some discussion going.  Thanks for the
> > stimulus.
> >
> > Dr. Nancie L. Gonzalez
> > Professor Emerita of Anthropology, University of Maryland
> > Visiting Professor, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala
> >
> >
>
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> David Harrison
> Professor of Tourism, Culture and Development
> Centre for Leisure and Tourism Studies
> Business School
> University of North London
> Stapleton House
> 277-281 Holloway Rd.
> London N7 8HN
>
> Phone:  (44)(020) 7753-7049  ex. 3037
>         (44)(020) 7753-7058
> fax:    (44)(020) 7753-5051
> e-mail:: [log in to unmask]
> Home phone: (020) 8348 1558
>
>



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