Friday, July 23, 2004
Holidays pose sexual health risk
No surprises here then. I expected Tenerife to get a mention in this article, even before I read it. And it did, namely:
"A study of holidaymakers in Tenerife showed 50% of people aged 25 and younger had had sex with someone new while on holiday, compared to 22% of those over 25."
What bothers me is that we always get a name check in these matters. Oh, I know it's because Tenerife is a popular destination, thus a good place for a meaningful survey sample, but all it does is perpetuate the sun, sea, sand and sex image that the island invariably gets in the press, especially in the UK.
Whilst I don't doubt there is plenty of willing local participation for this dangerous sport, never forget that an awful lot of it is instigated not by the place, but by the tourists themselves. I do have the benefit of speaking both languages and hearing both sides of the story.
Whilst common sense (as well as condoms) should be on everyone's holiday packing list -- I'm often sure the former is deposited in "left-luggage" at Gatwick -- what holiday-makers really need to be informed about is that there are also lots of other "cool" ways to have fun in Tenerife. Ones that don't involve getting drunk and can be done with your clothes on!
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