ABSTRACT
Borders and borderlands are innately linked to boundaries and the excitement and promise of the other. Because of the differences between jurisdictions, what is not acceptable or legal in one governmental space, can be acceptable in another. Sex and sexuality, because of their inherent nature and the way they have become politicised, are therefore inseparable elements of the notion of crossing borders. The border spaces of sex, perhaps like sex itself, are sticky and messy. Sticky in that they serve to attract and retain people and messy in that they are complex and often contested environments. The authors aim to provide an account of some of the main themes and issues in discussing sex and tourism in borderlands. They first provide a framework for discussing some of the main themes before looking at some issues in more depth including liminality, sexual mores, workers, legality, and, of course, the tourists themselves. They conclude with some comments on the importance of normalising sex and border-crossing rather than academically or economically fetishising it, perhaps for the purpose of ignoring much more serious problems.
