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Thailand
Thailand's sex industry is the elephant in the room for the Tourism Authority of Thailand. In the exotic, traditional, conservative picture painted by the state, there is no mention of an industry that has given Bangkok a reputation as "the carnal capital of the world." Although prostitution remains practically illegal and the state does little to enforce sexual safety both for workers and consumers, Thai sex workers do much for the country. In 2015, different studies estimated that revenue from the sex industry contributed between 2 and 10 percent of Thailand's GDP. Prostitution fuels the sex tourism industry, and has created a community of "sexpats." But what makes Thai sex workers so popular?
Some would attribute it to the fact that in Thailand, sex work is about more than just sex. On various forums, a common message is that "It is not always easy to distinguish between prostitution and legitimate relationships." Many foreign men seek out Thai women not just for their sexual services, but also for the time and caring that comes with it. An unnamed customer of sexual services stated that taking women working in the sex industry out for dates in what he calls a "pseudo-relationship."
Being a prostitute is not about the sexual act itself, but also about what happens before and after. In an interview with Public Radio International (PRI), an independent sex worker in Chiang Mai describes that most of her job is having drinks with customers and that she only has sex with them two or three times a month. In a model some have compared to a "professional girlfriend," sex workers can provide affectionate company, act as willing listeners and conversantionalists, and in return the client does not just pay for the few minutes of copulation, but will buy her clothing or take her to watch movies and on dates.
The idea of a "professional girlfriend" is not a new one in Thailand. Sex workers replicate the model of the Meiyn xy or mistress, that finds popular expression in Thai novels, but it does this on a different level. While mistresses typically found companions in wealthy Thai men, sex workers do so for middle class men or foreigners. It is part of Thailand's mistress culture.