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Why Sex Tourism in Thailand is Dying

The good old days of regular sex tourism in Thailand is dying! After just checking the exchange rate for a few currencies no one can call Thailand a very cheap tourist destination let alone a place to buy cheap sex either. Sure it's cheaper than back in the west but for those really trying to get the best bang for their buck people are finding that Cambodia offers better options for those looking for cheap sex.
Why Sex Tourism in Thailand is Dying

While the whiners on Thai Visa will say Thailand isn't going anywhere the fact that a minimum of 5000 baht for a decent soapy  massage in Bangkok will say that mass Sex Tourism to Thailand is on the wane Thailand it seems is after the HISO sex tourist.

Sex Tourist numbers are being inflated by the massive influx of new tourists to Thailand but the percentage of new sex tourists compared to that of yesteryear is much smaller. This can clearly be seen in Pattaya where you'll see Russian Families sharing the beach right alongside Thai hookers. The regular western monger is being pushed out.

It's not just the Sex Tourists that are on the wane either, Sexpats the typified Thailand expat resident are finding it hard to find their place in Thailand and more and more of them are moving over to Cambodia where they can still use their money for better effect. Retirees are feeling the pinch and can no longer satisfy the retirement laws of Thailand and are also seeking cheaper places to live.

If I was coming to Pattaya the Sex Tourism capital of Thailand on vacation I couldn't think of doing it on less than 10,000 baht a day for a really good time. 15 years ago that would have been 3000 baht. Did your salary go up 3 fold in that time? What about living in Thailand 30,000 baht 15 years ago was OK. These days you'll be spending up to 2/3's of that budget on food and accommodation.

All those guys who made those websites on how to live in Thailand on $500 a month are going to have to start changing that figure soon in fact I remember an article I wrote 2 years ago How to live in Chiang Mai on $10 a day. That's no longer possible.

Cambodia although much less developed and lawless offers mongers a cheaper place for sex tourists to go. As Cambodia develops the next spot will be Myanmar. Even established sex tourist destinations like the Philippines are still cheaper than Thailand.

Those choosing to go on a Sex based holiday are less and less likely to be choosing Thailand as their number one destination. But for those living in Thailand and playing the online game it's a whole different story.

Anyway I'll leave you with a short video documentary about sex tourism in Thailand, you decide.


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About Chris

Chris founded LivingThai.org in 2011 and has received over 3 million visitors. He has lived here for over 10 years and speaks reads and writes very good Thai.

31 Responses to Why Sex Tourism in Thailand is Dying

  1. M April 23, 2013 at 1:53 am #

    The other issue to remember is the girls going into foreign bar work are of a worse and worse quality… Most attractive young (paler skinned girls) would be much better of working in a massage on Ratchada road in BKK then some dive of a bar in Pattaya where they’re lucky to get a customer a night. The days of buses full of young Issarn drop dead gorgeous girls coming to work in the sex industry are definitely over.

  2. ChiangMaiGuy April 23, 2013 at 5:17 am #

    I agree it’s not cheap anymore but would challenge your ‘Cambodia’ alternative – I would suggest Philippines. I have just come back after another trip (my 17th) and I got laid for free (or virtually free) daily – when i had to pay it was ‘taxi’ of 1000 pesos (700 THB).

    I am settled here and no way am i uprooting but… if I had known 43/44 to GBP I might well have seriously considered it.

    • Chris April 23, 2013 at 3:09 pm #

      Philippines it seems is the next best choice i agree there, if referring to the girls Cambodia is much cheaper.

      • Scotty May 18, 2013 at 9:12 am #

        Legend man fun stuff and a good read. Keep on writing man keep the laughs rolling!

  3. jack April 23, 2013 at 5:38 am #

    5000 bahts for a soapie i,d want two girls for that in fact thats what i paid in 2009 in BKK and quality, with all the trimmings. Has it doubled in that time ?

    • Chris April 23, 2013 at 3:10 pm #

      starts at 5000 at the best soapies, you can still get it cheaper though. Most places in the country are only 1600

      • Leo May 24, 2013 at 7:33 am #

        I was wondering what defines a good soapy vs a regular soapy. Isn’t it all just about the same thing?

        • Chris June 3, 2013 at 2:19 am #

          I guess a good one is one that you like going to.

  4. Matt Hill April 23, 2013 at 5:53 am #

    All I’d have to say to these guys is enjoy the best of it while you can and just be prepared for the worst. Good luck

  5. P-city Mike April 23, 2013 at 7:57 am #

    Prices are going up and the dollar and euro are getting crushed against he baht so it’s like double trouble. Things have also developed to the point where the hotter girls know their value before they even step foot off the bus if they’re even on the bus in the first place. i used to shake my head and say, “if this girl only knew how hot she is.” Now they know and they know what it entitles them to. There are no more bargains out there.

    On a more positive note, supply and demand is real. Less sex tourists means less demand and more supply for the expats.

    • mike42night January 28, 2017 at 7:59 am #

      Really? I just check the Baht to Dollar exchange rate on my online currency convertor and the Dollar is stronger now and raising since 2013, Has the actual cost of living in Thailand increased that much?

  6. ChiangMaiGuy April 23, 2013 at 4:01 pm #

    a last comment… it does seem to ‘shift’ I went to Russia in the 90s and it was ‘heaven’ girl-wise and I had a blast but now it’s all changed and you can forget getting laid for free in bars and clubs like the ‘old days’ just because you were ‘foreign’ – will it happen here??? who knows but I think maybe over time.

    I love living here but visit Phil regularly and my new ‘fav’ Indonesia -Cambodia/Myanmar/Vietnam less often

    • TravelingFirefighter May 10, 2013 at 4:36 pm #

      ChiangMaiGuy,

      I’m headed to the Philippines for the very first time in a few months and had a question or two I would like your advice on. Would you be kind enough to send me an email so I can chat with you about the Phils? Thank you.

      [email protected]

  7. jefke April 24, 2013 at 5:18 pm #

    You’re right. Sex tourism is decreasing. I am very happy with it and hope the Baht will stay on this level so Thailand can attract another kind of tourists. At many bar-areas in Pattaya they are building high class condos – an excellent change. Thai people get higher income from labor than before and for young women it becomes less attractive to sell their body. In the end this is a very good evolution for Thailand and Thai people.

    • Milbrath May 2, 2013 at 3:26 pm #

      Don’t worry, the Thais will screw it up and run away decent people coming here. Thailand has always been and always will be the world’s largest brothel. Shutting it down in one area will just move it to another. So long as education is horrible and wages are cheap, there will be no shortage of girls and boys willing to sell their bodies. Not to mention the drug problem that is eating this country from the inside out. People will always turn tricks to keep their habit going.

  8. Jake April 25, 2013 at 7:58 pm #

    Off topic. anyone knows the name of the song from the beginning? thanks in advance.

  9. stevemc May 11, 2013 at 12:18 am #

    Yes, sex tourism in Thailand is dying because its becoming too expensive, 10 years ago in Phuket i could get a sexy young girl for $17. I have been in chiang mai for the past 4 months and i have NOT touched the sex scene.
    I recommend Vietnam for cheap sex and the girls are more attractive than your average thai.

    • Chris May 11, 2013 at 6:54 am #

      Viet girls are hot! But I havn’t heard good reports about the scene there. Would love to know more….

      • mike42night January 28, 2017 at 7:09 am #

        Also it is my “limited” understanding that Vietnam is culturally less conducive to the P4P scene then Thailand and I doubt it will became the next mongers’ Disney Land…

        • Chris January 31, 2017 at 5:18 pm #

          I lived in Vietnam, i can speak the language also, if you want cheap vietnamese girls head to Vientianne, 600 baht for the cutest girls i’ve seen in a while. Vietnam however has so many girls dunno why you’d need to pay.

    • joe May 19, 2013 at 3:47 pm #

      yes putting them selves out of business. LIke all things Thai; they learn to late and wonder what happened
      Nana is going under quick. Not like 15 yrs ago at all.

    • Mihir July 21, 2017 at 1:42 am #

      Dear can you guide me where I can find hot young girls for cheap priced sex in Vietnam.

  10. Jeff June 21, 2014 at 11:38 am #

    Not sure where you go but I have apartment building in Hua Hin have plenty expats living here . These men get by on 25000 per month and they bring home a 1000 a nite girl at least 2-3 times a month .Pattaya stinks and is full of Kat oy loving Ruskys.

  11. Percy August 11, 2014 at 3:36 pm #

    To say sex tourism is dying in Thailand is total nonsense, any day of the week after dark on Pattaya beach Rd, many pretty young Thai girls are to be had from 700 to 1000, that is still very cheap by western standards, sure things have become more expensive but again still very cheap by western standards, you can rent a room in Pattaya from about 5500 a month, a live fairly well on 40,000, where in the west can you live so cheaply and well?

    To suggest The Philippines as an alternative to Thailand is outrageous, Phils in lawless, unsafe, filipinos are creeps and bother tourists no stop witrh their false friendliness, Angeles is a sad run down slum place and prices for girls are far more expensive than Thailand, Manila is just a hell hole, it is so easy to meet girls in Thailand, the same cannot be said for The Philippines where foreigners are expected to meet girls in slum areas which are not safe;
    Sex Tourism in Thailand is still the best place in S/E Asia and that is a fact !!!

    • Ryan November 20, 2014 at 8:52 pm #

      “many pretty young Thai girls are to be had from 700 to 1000 thb. Btw is this rate for quickie or overnight?

      Is it true that sex tourism in thailand still that cheap…

      Cause maybe in the next 3-4 months i am planning to go to thailand if this still apply.

      In case that it doesn’t though i’ll change it to angeles city phi.

      • Chris November 23, 2014 at 10:51 am #

        Yeah still possible to get it cheap, all depends where you are and honestly what your standards are.

    • henry April 23, 2015 at 10:19 pm #

      Very true

  12. Brock December 17, 2014 at 6:51 pm #

    Sex tourism dying in Thailand, not by a long shot! I suggest every monger spend at least a week in Isaan and see how poor it is compared to BKK or even Pattaya for that matter. It’s fucking POOR, like 3rd world poor and I don’t see that changing within the foreseeable future. The other thing that will keep it alive is that women are lazy. Women hate working and in a country like Thailand where being a prostitute isn’t seen as taboo and the minimum wage is only 300 baht a day, why work in 7/11 when you can make three-four days wages for 15 minutes.

    You can get laid in BKK for 500 baht, if you stroll to Ratchadamnoen (near Khoasan Road), easy. Most of the freelancers in bars like Soi 7 Beer Garden and Ruamchit will go down to a 1000 and the same goes for the girls standing outside Nana Plaza. I can say first hand that you can definitely get a CUTE freelancer on Beach Road (in Pattaya) for 700, although most will demand 1,000 each if you want a 3-some.

    Anyone that pays 5,000 at a soapy is a fool and deserves to get ripped off. Soapies in BKK are typically 2,000 baht and thats for a two hours. Outside of BKK, in Isaan for instance, soapies range from about 1,300-2,000. The only places I know of where women charge more than and expect at least 2,000-3,000 are where they cater to Koreans and Japanese.

    I think the best advice I could give a first time monger in Thailand is ALWAYS BARGAIN. A good rule of thumb is never spend more than 1,000 (outside of a soapy) unless you are 1. an old/fat guy and/or 2. that ga-ga over her. If #1 applies, then 2,000, you’re old and should be able to afford it. If only #2 applies, then give her 1,500 tops. if she says no, move on, because there are plenty of women who will take 1,500.

    I agree Philippines is awesome, especially Angeles! If you don’t want a full on balls-to-the-walls type monger scene, but plenty of options, go to Subic Bay (about 90 minutes or so from Angeles). I agree that Manila is basically a big nugget of fecal matter with skyscrapers. Indonesia, especially Jakarta, is a hidden jewel and there are NO white men there outside of Blok M (South Jakarta). The girls are all the same price, about 300,000 (which is roughly 24-25 USD). Phnom Penh is cool too, but there isn’t much to do during the day. That being said, getting high whether it be from booze, mj or stimulants isn’t all that hard to find and yes the women are never over $30.

    • Chris December 19, 2014 at 3:46 pm #

      Thanks for a great comment, I wouldn’t say 5k for a bkk soapy is outrageous, there’s plenty of soapies in bkk that start at 5k! Not everyone is hunting a bargain and if i’m on holiday I really don’t wanna be walking the streets looking for a 500 baht lay, actually I live here I don’t even do that.

  13. peter April 23, 2015 at 6:44 pm #

    Away from sex……..it’s the national sport in Thailand, playing low profile on money ! they have money !! How can we live in a rich country ? The difference is only bigger, the Amercan way, not work , no food.

    Look around you all these new cars, and have no money ? Finance ? Banks in Thailand also want securities !!

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