ABSTRACT
This chapter uses the case study of Malindi Area to analyse the operations of Commission on the Status of Womens (CSW) in Kenya. It highlights the implications of tourism-related sex trade for the development of sustainable tourism. Tourism development that generates net benefits for local people and protects socio-cultural and environmental aspects of a destination will place restrictions on human activities and challenge the current rapid growth development model. Sex workers operating from the high-potential zones profile themselves as a separate group. They are more protective and strict about Malindi Welfare Association's (MWA) rules regarding operation zones, which require CSWs to stick to their designated areas of operation. Tourist insecurity threatens the sustainability of a tourism destination. Sex workers lying within the high-class sex trade would most probably generate higher incomes and enhanced trickle-down effects as tourists purchase sexual services. A community is rarely sustained by tourism alone, thus tourism needs to be considered in conjunction with other socio-economic factors.
