Attacking Formation: Sport Tourism and Sexual Behavior

Background: Sex tourism is a socio-economic phenomenon whose characteristics and prevention have been extensively studied in academic literature (Lovelock & Lovelock, 2013). Similarly, due to the volume of sports tourism, which has proliferated over the last few decades, this type of tourism has also received considerable research interest (Hudson, 2012). However, research on tourism combining these two types and research examining sexual behavior patterns among sports tourists remains marginal. An exploratory study, such as the current one, sheds light on the similarities and differences between the different types, and mainly contributes to examining masculinity in sports tourism.

Aim: The purpose of the research on which this lecture is based was to analyze the shared properties between the two types of tourism by studying male sports tourists’ sexual behavior patterns. That is, to examine how sexual behavior is reflected in sports tourism. Within this goal, the phenomenon was examined in three aspects: motives, behavior, and perceptions.

Methods: The study included a series of 18 semi-structured in-depth interviews with young Israeli men who traveled abroad to watch professional sports. It should be noted that the current research focused exclusively on trips in which all participants are men and which are primarily intended for sports viewing. The interviewees were identified using the snowball method, which is particularly suited to the selected case, both in the sports fans’ closed nature and the interview topic.

Conclusions: The findings of the study reveal three themes. The first is the dynamics of the trip and the importance of the group composition. These constitute the primary incentive for activities of a sexual nature, rather than the individual aspect. The second is the tourists` circumstances, especially their marital status. This theme suggests that men who are recently married or in a fresh new relationship tend to take a more limited part in these sexual activities. The third theme is about the self-perceived attitudes toward sex workers, especially the moral remoteness of prostitution. The themes and their theoretical implications are widely discussed.