Most hotel companies shy away from the topic of sex tourism, fearing that the mere mention of the issue will sully their brand. But not Accor. The French hotel giant that includes Sofitel, Novotel, and Motel 6, among a slew of other hotels, has a companywide campaign to keep child sex offenders out of its 4,000 properties. When Accor’s CEO Gilles Pélisson met with Deputy Editor Dorinda Elliott last week, he spoke openly about the “dark side” of his industry and the ongoing efforts to combat it, by among other measures, hanging anti-sex trafficking posters in the lobbies of his hotels throughout the developing world.
Last month, ECPAT, a Thailand-based network of organizations fighting child prostitution and trafficking, issued a call to action to the rest of the travel industry (Accor is already an active member), citing an estimated 1.2 million child victims worldwide. In the meantime, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements has joined forces with foreign officials to crack down on American sex tourists in Southeast Asia.
On Monday, a few hours after Accor’s Director of Sustainable Development Hélène Roques accepted a Condé Nast Traveler World Savers Award in New York, three men faced a federal judge in Los Angeles, charged with engaging in illicit sexual conduct with minors while traveling in Cambodia. The men were the first to be charged under the new international initiative Operation Twisted Traveler, which targets U.S. citizens who sexually exploit children in Cambodia, a prime destination for child predators.
Last month, ECPAT, a Thailand-based network of organizations fighting child prostitution and trafficking, issued a call to action to the rest of the travel industry (Accor is already an active member), citing an estimated 1.2 million child victims worldwide. In the meantime, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements has joined forces with foreign officials to crack down on American sex tourists in Southeast Asia.
On Monday, a few hours after Accor’s Director of Sustainable Development Hélène Roques accepted a Condé Nast Traveler World Savers Award in New York, three men faced a federal judge in Los Angeles, charged with engaging in illicit sexual conduct with minors while traveling in Cambodia. The men were the first to be charged under the new international initiative Operation Twisted Traveler, which targets U.S. citizens who sexually exploit children in Cambodia, a prime destination for child predators.
Alex Pasquariello is a senior assistant editor at Condé Nast Traveler covering news, politics, and environmental issues. He is fond of almost any pursuit that requires a helmet and his favorite ecosystem is high alpine tundra in late June.
Placing materials in lobbies is not sufficient. While at an Accor hotel in Santo Domingo it was clear that a good 1/3 of the guests were engaging in sex tourism.
While the hotel staff was prompt to keep "riff-raff" from wandering into the lobby or bar, I saw numerous apparent cases of sex tourism.
I applaud Accor's initial efforts, but let's not applaud them for too much. Intolerance to sex tourism means asking clients to leave where appropriate.