STD

Sex Tourist Device:
A reflection on Thailand’s sex industry
Jerusalem Design Week 2019 New Project Proposal: STD (Sex Tourist Device)

Statement

by: Republic Nanu & Splendour Solis p. 02

Thailand accommodates 500,000 sex tourists each year according to forbes.com. This capacity is a size of $25 billion, which is roughly 12% of the nation’s GDP. Certainly it is nothing to be proud of. Which is
precisely why this figure sits in a grey area of Thai economy. Despite being notoriously famous, the
authorities prefer to keep their moral high ground by deeming prostitution illegal. The hypocritical ignorance of the officials left most sex workers, up to a third of whom are underage without any social security nor protections from the law, making them easy targets for human traffickers. This confirmed a certain reality when a Western tourist looks to the East and we the local, looking back. It is clear that some are looking east with an expectation beyond sea, sand and foot massage.