The relationship of tourism with female street prostitution in Recife, Pernambuco - Brazil: continuities and transformations in the socio-spatial dynamics

Abstract

It’s becoming increasingly common in the dynamics of the cities to encourage tourism, since it represents a possibility to generate high economic gains by mobilizing several economy sectors. Regardless of the type of tourism, favoring the selling of goods and rendering of services occurs, which includes activities to provide sexual services. The tourist is viewed in the imaginary of the sex workers as the "ideal" customer, conveying the idea of being willing to spend money in his non-daily-routine quest, and paying higher prices. In the setting of the city of Recife, the Boa Viagem District and specially the Conselheiro Aguiar Avenue, spatial slices with strong touristic infrastructure and equipment investments, have attracted over time not only hotels, tourism agencies, restaurants and others, as well as favored female street prostitution.