If the sex scene is less visible would you still come to Thailand?

[Guest ryanasia]

There is a lot of talk and debate and it does seem that the powers that be are at least making an attempt to disrupt the sex trade. 

 

So my question is would you still come here and if so at the same frequency? My poll isn't that detailed so feel free to add your comments one way or another. 

 

 

[Brummbaer]

Yes, I would. I'd miss the bars, but I mainly come to see my boyfriend. Haven't offed anybody for more than 3 years now.

[vinapu]

I guess I would as if made man hunting more interesting  and therapeutic value of massage by man can't be discounted

[biguyby]

Yes I would still visit. I suppose after holidaying in Thailand and South East Asia for the last 26 years I am pretty much addicted.

[Vessey]

By all accounts the 'visible' sex trade that we enjoy as 'Farang' is dwarfed by the Thai sex trade which is far less visible.

 

My point is that there will always be sex for sale, but we may have to look harder to find it.

 

Even if it does become more elusive it will still beat my celibate existence back home LOL

[numazu]

I voted both. Yes I can get all I need online, and no I will miss the bar scene and atmosphere.

 

If I was just starting out with my journey to Thailand as a first timer, if the sex trade is less visible, then I would probably be more intimidated by it not being as accessible as it has been. The beauty of the sex tourist industry in Thailand is that it doesn't have a steep learning curve to get into it, and having these conduits to get sex cheaply and readily (be it gogo bar, beer bar, or massage place) does make it easy for a first timer.

 

If it happened in the next few months, I would still continue to come. I have my base of boys to visit (DTG, Thai boys of trips past, not to mention CB and BurBoy), I have Grindr and PlanetRomeo to lean on (and have had plenty of great free sex and paid sex), and really, the country will continue to be amazing. The people, the culture, and the overall atmosphere will make me want to go back. At a sole per minute basis I only spend about 1/16th of my waking time in these more "visible" sex tourist places. The rest I spend sampling their delicious food, touring their awe-inspiring places, and getting to know their amazing local citizens (be it in sex, bowling, disco etc.). Also, the relative "openness" of the country to gay people makes it a frequent stopover for most of the (Asian) region's gay men who find their own countries (too muslim, too communist, too puritan) too restricting to their natural selves. Parties like White Party Bangkok in December and Sonkgran in April, as well as the kick-ass discos like DJ Station and G.O.D. are also conduits to get some tail.

 

Having said that, there is really nothing else like it in the world like Thailand in terms of their gay sex tourist infrastructure. For me, it's one of the the best, if not the best. I love bringing my first-timer farang friends to a gogo bar (Dream Boy or Jupiter most likely) and show them the wonders of this part of the country. I love seeing their eyes bug out of their sockets upon witnessing the majesty of seeing the boys in their natural best. There is nothing else like it in the world.

[Alexx]

I didn't move to Thailand for its sex scene, and I still would have moved to Thailand if it hadn't existed back then. I don't want it to disappear, but if it did, it wouldn't be a catastrophic event for me personally.

 

Finding guys online has been and still is an important factor though, right from the start. I chatted with a Thai guy before my first ever visit to Thailand, and he later became my first Thai boyfriend. Since then I've found two more boyfriends, quite a number of friends and even more flings online.

[Guest ryanasia]

By all accounts the 'visible' sex trade that we enjoy as 'Farang' is dwarfed by the Thai sex trade which is far less visible.

 

My point is that there will always be sex for sale, but we may have to look harder to find it.

 

Even if it does become more elusive it will still beat my celibate existence back home LOL

 

Okay toclarify what I mean is take away Patpong, Patttaya, Patong and Chiang Mai gay districts. Sure there are the apps and online but the spirit of my question is like this.

[firecat69]

Would not bother me in the least!

[Guest ryanasia]

Okay I guess I can add my vote and reasons. I live here but if I didn't I wouldn't come here if the gay party scene wasn't here. Not because it would bother me that much but because most of what Thailand offers for me could be found somewhere closer to home and cheaper to get to. Though I guess I am tired of Thailand anyway and when the financial incentive to stay here is gone I will be looking to repatriate. So I don't think I would come back to Thailand for a holiday again regardless of the sex scene. 

 

This is not necessarily a negative about Thailand so much as it is just the thrill has worn off for me. I have been in the region more than a decade and would like to see other places at some point. There is hardly a corner of this area I haven't seen already. 

[vinapu]

 

This is not necessarily a negative about Thailand so much as it is just the thrill has worn off for me.

to prevent this I prefer more frequent but shorter trips to once a year longer ones   despite those exhausting flights

[ChristianPFC]

Not sorry for being pedantic, the headline should be: "If the sex scene was less visible would you still come to Thailand?"

 

Yes, absolutely. There is enough online and in saunas (there even for free, however no guaranty you get lucky).

 

I wouldn't miss Soi Twilight at all (over the years, from frequently going to bars to frequently just passing through the soi to passing only if I have something else in the area). There would even be a bit of "Schadenfreude" if it closed, all those overpaid underperformers would be forced to do some real work.

 

Pattaya would be a loss, I still enjoy a few trips per year with 5-10 gogo bar visits each trip.

[firecat69]

to prevent this I prefer more frequent but shorter trips to once a year longer ones   despite those exhausting flights

Easy to say as a Young Man,   wait 10-15 years and see how you feel.

[gerefan]

I get the feeling that those responding above are (or were) mostly long term residents of Thailand. No wonder they are perhaps jaded with the scene and it wouldn't bother them if it disappeared.

 

I have been visiting for 12 years, (for about 4 months per year) and feel the complete opposite.

 

As has been written many times in the past there is very little to do during the day in Pattaya and to a lesser extent in BKK too. We visitors therefore become somewhat nocturnal.

 

So, if the scene vanished there would actually be little or nothing for us to VISIT Thailand for.

 

I think its a different matter for those who live, or have lived, there.

[Guest Steve1903]

Thailand is my default position and it would be hard for me to go elsewhere while I still have a good friendship with my Thai boy (actually man, as he is 34). However if folk started posting that they've been going elsewhere and it's Thailand as it used to be etc etc then I admit I would be very tempted to have a look. 

[firecat69]

I don't think it makes a bit of difference whether you live in Thailand or not .  I have done both ,lived there for 30 months and travelled up to 4 times a year from the USA over a span of 15 years.

 

I rarely drink alcohol so I don't need to go to a Bar for that .  I used to attend the Bars on Soi Twilight 4-5 times a week during my 30 months but over time  since my permanent residence have seen the prices more then double and the overall quality of the boys go down. Overall my days have lengthened in Pattaya vs. Bangkok and again there the prices have gone up but not as much but the Bars continue to disappear and especially quality Bars.  

 

Sunee is a joke compared to what it used to be  and Boystown and the 2 adjacent Sois have also been completely diminished. FunnyBoys may not have had a show but it was easily the best run Bar for years. Yes I know Boyz has been brought back to some of its Former Glory  by new owners but that is one of the few bright spots in Pattaya.

 

There are lots of reasons for the decline but the fact is many boys hate the Bars and find it much easier to use the various Apps.

 

I also find it easier and many times get the same boy I would have got if I went to 4 bars and spent 1500-2000 baht just for drinks in Pattaya and easily 3000 in BKK .   I also have a much greater pool of boys to select from on the Apps then ever existed in the Bars. 

 

With lots of practice I rarely don't end up with a boy who looks exactly like the photos and it does not have to be at 9pm or later.

 

Now I understand that some people enjoy drinking alcohol and for them the bars are a necessity. Who wants to drink by themselves in their room especially when on a short vacation.

 

If I was a drinker,  I have far nicer Bars with much better drinks in my home country (not many with Boys).  Also I lived 6 years in Montreal where during the time I was there had far better GoGo Bars then Thailand ever imagined and yes I spent lots of time in them but since that time Apps have exploded.

 

This was a long explanation of why for me it would makes no difference. After visiting all the Temples and numerous cities in Thailand , I have no interest in being a tourist. I come for one reason, Sex, and that is easily available 24 hours a day without leaving my very nice apartment and at a  cost that is a fraction of what it would cost me in North America.

 

So if the Bars get shutdown, there will just be even more boys for me to pick from on the Apps.

[DivineMadman]

Not sorry for being pedantic, the headline should be: "If the sex scene was less visible would you still come to Thailand?"

 

If we're being pedantic, then wouldn't it be "if the sex scene were less visible" ?   (subjunctive; expressing a condition not currently true).  "If I were a rich man, . . . "

 

But english is a vibrant and ever-changing language, so no need for pedantry.  (Such as the prohibition on beginning a sentence with "but.")

[Guest whall]

That's a good question. Having only been there one time for a week and loving it, I would have to lean maybe to yes. Sex is definitely not the only reason I want go back so bad, but it's like the whip cream and cherry on top of delicious ice cream. It just enhances the whole trip. As far as apps go, I do that enough at home so I like the scene of the gogo bars.

[TMax]

Yes I would, I love Thailand and the people there and for me the sex is the side dish to the main

[vinapu]

Easy to say as a Young Man,   wait 10-15 years and see how you feel.

no doubt you are right and I will feel like chewing gum after each flight although I noticed that with age I take  long haul flights better and better but jet lags are killing me , specially upon return home

[kokopelli]

I come here to be with my bf but also to socialize with all my expats friends and frequent flyers. It would be no enjoyment for me if the gay scene were gone. I enjoy the go-go bars and host/beer bars and massage houses and their loss would be devastating.

Apps do noting for me at all, much that same as ordering take out food as opposed to a restaurant setting. 

[ChristianPFC]

As has been written many times in the past there is very little to do during the day in Pattaya and to a lesser extent in BKK too. We visitors therefore become somewhat nocturnal.

 

That depends on what your interests are. It took me about two months (spread over several years) in Pattaya to go to all places I'm interested in, and some are worth going again after a few years.

 

I lived in Bangkok for 3 years haven't been to half of the places I find interesting.

[firecat69]

I come here to be with my bf but also to socialize with all my expats friends and frequent flyers. It would be no enjoyment for me if the gay scene were gone. I enjoy the go-go bars and host/beer bars and massage houses and their loss would be devastating.

Apps do noting for me at all, much that same as ordering take out food as opposed to a restaurant setting. 

Certainly  I understand going to be with your BF and I am quite sure you would continue to come if the Gay scene was muted. Also I took the question to be more about GoGo Bars rather then massage parlors or Beer Bars which in reality are already underground.

 

I doubt very much if your BF was in Bangkok you would seldom if ever go to Soi Twilight to socialize (at least in GoGo Bars) and yes you would probably go to Silom Soi 4 which of course would continue to exist..

 

Naturally nobody here wants the Gay Scene to become muted but unless Thai officials closed all the non Go Go  Bars and massage parlors that will never happen.  

 

And the question was if it was muted would you continue to come and I am guessing most will continue to visit as long as boys are available.

 

Massages are part of Thailand fabric so I can't see them ever going away just like I can't see Bars, Discos etc ever to be banned.  GoGo Bars on the other hand could easily be driven out of business by the Government.

 

The scene would become more like Jomtien or Soi 4 .

[vinapu]

 

The scene would become more like Jomtien or Soi 4 .

Then , God forbid it ever happens as far as I'm concerned since I don't see much fun in either

[firecat69]

Who are you kidding ?  I doubt you ever visited Jomtien for a night or spent any time in Soi 4. They actually have real restaurants there and not many Chinese tours?