Entrepreneurs in RomanceTourism in Indonesia

Abstract

This article addresses the extent to which the opportunity to enter into a sexual relationship with Western female tourists poses a challenge to the vast number of self-employed young men in Indonesian tourism destinations. The areas compared in this article (Lombok and Yogyakarta) differ in terms of Butlers resort area cycle. Whereas Yogyakarta is about to enter the consolidation phase, Lombok has only started to develop tourism. The position in the area life cycle affects the opportunities and restrictions that self-employed young males encounter in their participation in the informal tourism sector and, as a consequence, their expectations regarding relationships with female tourists.