1. 112006 Kwok Chun Lok, Alicia
112010 Au Hiu Sze, Celia
Tourism Industry as a Site of Contestation of the Definition
of “Female”

2. Tourism Industry:
a Site of Contestation of the Definition of
“Female”
*On the one hand:
*How is the stereotypes of female reinforced in tourism
industry?(Targeted at the local women)
*On the other hand:
*How is the stereotypes of female being challenged in
tourism industry ?( Targeted at the female tourists)

3. *Travelling is masculinized as having “adventures” and
“risk-taking” & “bravery”
*“[Tourism] is a set of presumptions about manhood,
education and pleasure”(Enloe,2000,p.28)
*Originally, travelling is for men to grow and become
mature, not intended for women
*Women: Stays at home and looks after children
* “Good girls go to Heaven. Bad girls go everywhere”
(Enloe,2000, P.21)
The stereotypes of female reinforced in tourism
industry
- A brief introduction of the gendered tourism

4. * Example :
*New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepalese
Tenzing Norgay reached the top of Mount
Everest, the highest mountain in the world, at
11:30 a.m. on May 29, 1953
*The first couple to climb up the Mountain
(Rosenberg)

5. Only MALE is mentioned in such pioneering
journey & in history. How about the female?

6. *For male tourists , “Women are something
to be experienced” (Enloe,2000,P.28)
*Male tourists might opt for alcohol, entertainments & sex
escape(to be sexually experienced/mature)
*Visit bars and pubs
*E.g. Moulin Rouge in France
⇒Enjoy Can Can dance
⇒Male gaze in sexualized female bodies
⇒Though tourists of both sexes can go there
(maybe out of curiosity)
⇒Originally: For man’s sexual desire only
The stereotypes of female reinforced in
tourism industry
-Female and Sex (targeted at the local
women)

7. *Case Study:
*Red Light District in Netherland as a
tourist site
*https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=rsKe3rMc5fo
(0:47)
The stereotypes of female reinforced
in tourism industry
-Female and Sex

8. *Female and Sex: Sex Tourism
*Window “shopping” for sex services
*=> reinforced male gaze
*=> female bodies are being commodified
*=> Sell herself like the mannequins sell clothes
*Inferiority of the locals; superiority of the foreign male tourists

12. *Fordism of the red light district tour
⇒Making expectations, anticipations and fantasy
over the prostitutes/women in general
*“ Our local guides will show you the world's first
specialized condom shop (The Condomerie), a
statue for sexworkers, hidden art, the prostitutes,
an erotic theatre (Casa Rosso) and much more.”
*http://amsterdamredlightdistricttour.com/#ixzz2
xM39gcsF
The male gaze and tourist gaze
reinforced in the packaged tour

13. *The red light district tour
*Extraordinary (away from everyday)
* ways in the red light district
packaged tour to make the place
extraordinary
The male gaze and tourist gaze
reinforced in the packaged tour

14. Women (prostitutes) => Dangerous
Classified as “dark side” of the City (then what about casinos
and pubs?)
Locals: “friendly”, “knowledgeable” and “reliable”
=> Superficial social relations (like a trustworthy “friend” or
“brother”)
Has to rely on the local guide in order to be “safe”
Make the place sounds like more dangerous and risky
=> Don’t go by yourself alone!

15. *In the packaged tour in which you are taught to
gaze/having fantasy( sexualized and
dangerous) over the prostitutes,
*More than the gaze by male
⇒As well as female tourists
⇒View the prostitutes as if they are sex objects
=>Male gaze is being legitimized by such tours
 The stereotypical relation between female
and sex is reinforced
The male gaze reinforced in the
packaged tour

16. *Condoms are one of the “must-have” souvenirs
from Holland
*“Sexualized” Holland => as a sex paradise
*Encouraging people to come and gaze at the
women there
The consumerism reinforcing the
stereotypical relation between female
and sex

17. *Blake, M. (2012, Nov 27). British man becomes
first person to visit all 201 countries.. without
using a plane read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-
2239087/graham-hughes-british-man-person-
visit-201-countries-without-using-plane.html
*Coinseurotrip. (Performer). (2011, Mar 2).
Amsterdam Red Light District HD [Web Video].
Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=rsKe3rMc5fo
*Enloe, C. (2000). “On the Beach.” Bananas,
Beaches, and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of
International Politics. Berkeley: University of
California Press. 19-41.

18. *Rosenberg, J. (n.d.). The first to climb mount
everest. Retrieved from
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1950s/qt/
mteverest.htm

19. The stereotypes of Female being
challenged in tourism industry
(Targeted at the female tourists)
Subversive or not?

20. The stereotype of female’s restriction
of mobility
Female = “ In many societies being feminine has been defined as sticking
close to home. Masculinity, by contrast, has been the passport for travel”
(Enloe,2000, P.21)
Even if women have to travel, they are departing from a
home to another home( accompanied by the male )
 never leave “home”(in physical sense)
Propagated by the tourism industry: “There's nothing like
Australia”(2013), “Tourism Tasmania” (2011), “Tourism Fiji”
(2013)


21. The Emergence of “Female
Tourist”
The restriction of mobility( home, male companion)
is challenged with the concept of female “explorer”
/tourist
“they dare to travel without male protection”
(Enloe,2000, P.23)
•“Incredible India”(Indian Tourism Board)2012

22. The Emergence of “Female
Tourist”• (although she is a clumsy “adventurer” /tourist
suggesting that she is not up to the male standard of
being a good adventurer
• And she is guided by man: still a biased view: female
dependence)
• The contestation: Redefining “women”
• Woman travelling alone
• riding motorcycle women’s mobility
• Mountaineering the joy of being alone
• (freedom) /having achievements
during the trip

23. Masculine Domination of the Nature
• Male tourists are constantly defined as “explorers
and adventurers” conqueror of the nature in
tourism industry
• Colorado Tourism Commercial (2012)
• Nature landscape= dominated by male tourists
• The totalizing gaze on the natural environment as
shown in the tourism advertisements

24. Against the Male Domination over the
Nature
Challenges :
Against the notion of male tourists dominating
the nature
“Your Moment is Waiting” (Kerala Tourism) 2010
(Although objectification of women is still present)
 Intimate , peaceful and spiritual relationship
between female tourists and the nature

25. Conclusion
• Only minute challenges can be made within
the patriarchy
• “The very structure of international tourism
needs patriarchy to survive” (Enloe,2000,
P.21)

26. References
• Incredible India.(2012) Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ulE2CbvCCG0
• Colorado Tourism.(2012)Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-
1yXdOufzKE
• Your Moment is Waiting.(2010) Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=axHn7KDxM8U