Is Sex Tourism Intention Uncontrollable? The Moderating Effects of Ethics and Law

This study explores one of the biggest social issues in South Korea, that is, sex tourism, which is illegal but remains in high demand. The study recruited a total of 1,003 respondents, whose responses were analyzed to understand their intentions for sex tourism. Study 1 revealed that sex tourism intention was largely influenced by subjective norms and moderated by ethical awareness and knowledge of illegality. In Study 2, sex tourism intention non-significantly differed across three scenarios of traveling, namely, to a general destination; to an area where prostitution is legal by local law; and with companions with positive opinions about sex tourism. However, Studies 3 and 4 found that the extent to which reminders and warnings about ethics and illegality reduced sex tourism intention differed according to the scenario. The results suggest that sex tourism intention is conditional and controllable, and, thus, government interventions are justified.