ABSTRACT
In this chapter we trace gay tourism from its early fragmented beginnings in the nineteenth century to the present day, when a clearly recognizable, organized, and coordinated gay tourism sector now exists. When writing, we were critically aware of the problems that such a historical approach necessarily creates in relation to ideas of sexual practice and identity, so we have sought to employ terms such as “homosexual” and “gay” in their specific historical and social contexts. This approach has sometimes been difficult, and no doubt there are slippages in our use of these terms. The chapter situates the rest of the book within broader sociocultural and political contexts that we believe have played a role in molding contemporary gay tourism. We have attempted to tease out the key narratives contributing to the emergence and growth of gay tourism and to clarify some of its defining characteristics. Although we have selected certain gay tourism destinations for closer analysis, it was beyond the limits of this chapter to deal comprehensively with the histories of gay tourism at significant destinations in any systematic way. Instead, we have taken an approach that is indicative rather than comprehensive. We have also been limited by the historical data that were available to us, and our search for relevant materials has involved a wide range of sources, including novels, travelogues, memoirs, gay travel guidebooks, gay newspapers and lifestyle magazines, and Internet sites, along with more conventional academic works. We have no doubt that this chapter is at best a partial charting of gay tourism and one that is focused predominantly on the emergence of gay tourism in Europe, North America, and, to a lesser extent, Australia. This focus has been determined largely by the availability of suitable source materials.
