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?
*On the other hand:
*How is the stereotypes of female being challenged in
tourism industry ?

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)
How is 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
How is the stereotypes of female
reinforced in tourism industry?
-Female and Sex

7. *Case Study:
*Red Light District in Netherland
*https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=rsKe3rMc5fo
(0:47)
How is 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
*Production oriented
⇒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
How is the male gaze reinforced in
the packaged tour ?

13. *In the packaged tour in which you are taught to
gaze/having fantasy 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
How is the male gaze reinforced in
the packaged tour ?

14. *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
How is consumerism reinforcing the
stereotypical relation between female
and sex?

15. Women (prostitutes) =>represented as 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!

16. *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.

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

18. How is the stereotypes of female
being challenged in tourism industry
?
Subversive or not?

19. The stereotype of femininity in
Tourism Industry
Femininity = restriction of mobility
“ 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)


20. Challenging the stereotype of
femininity
The restriction of mobility( home, male companion)
is challenged with the concept of women “explorer”
/tourist
“they dare to travel without male protection”
(Enloe,2000, P.23)
•“Incredible India”(Indian Tourism Board)2012

21. Challenging the stereotype of
femininity
• (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
/accomplishment
• Rock Climbing, mountain biking bravery

22. The absent “female” tourist
• Male tourists are constantly defined as “explorers
and adventurers” conqueror of the nature in
tourism industry
• The female tourist is left undefined( only served as
part of the objects)
• Colorado Tourism Commercial (2012)
• The masculine ,totalizing gaze on the natural
environment as shown in the tourism
advertisements

23. The absent “female” tourist
Challenges : Redefining the absent “female”
tourist
“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

24. Conclusion
•  Only minute challenges can be made
• Challenging the stereotype of femininity:
women can travel on her own
• Redefining the absent “female” tourist
• “The very structure of international tourism
needs patriarchy to survive” (Enloe,2000,
P.21)

25. 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