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Female Tourists, Casual Sex, and HIV Risk in Costa Rica

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An Erratum to this article was published on 19 March 2009

Abstract

This paper describes the involvement of young female tourists who visit rural Costa Rica with gringueros (i.e., local men who actively seek relationships with foreign women), and explores the implications of these relations, which gringueros see as outlets for sexual adventure, for sexual behaviors that could contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS. The findings highlight the need to use tourism-related locales to implement HIV/AIDS awareness strategies targeted at women tourists, gringueros, and other local youth.

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Notes

  1. The overall project, of which these data sets are part, also included a short survey with 100 tourists to the area (data not reported on here). However, due to time limitations on the part of tourists, it was impossible to collect in-depth qualitative data with them.

  2. When respondents opted not to be tape-recorded, the researcher took extensive notes while conducting the interview, and typed them up as soon as possible after the interview. The researcher attempted to quote the respondent without paraphrasing, but at times it was too difficult to capture exact quotes. The quotes presented in this article are those from tape-recorded interviews only. Material from non-taped interviews was not directly cited.

  3. The field researcher and assistant began by conducting preliminary analysis of interviews, focus groups, and participant observations two months into the data collection process. Independently, the researcher and assistant examined the data and drew out dominant themes that a majority (close to half) of respondents discussed and that could be corroborated by observations. Under the guidance of the principal investigator, the field research and assistant convened to discuss the preliminary themes that each had found independently. During preliminary analysis, in lieu of a generalized word search, the research team focused more on general thematic searches in an effort to maintain the integrity of individual quotes and ensure a contextual analysis. Word searches were conducted later on, based on major themes previously extrapolated.

  4. Unless otherwise specified, the terms “sex” and “sexual activity” refer to penile-vaginal intercourse rather than to other forms of sex such as oral or anal.

  5. It is important to remember that many of these men stay with the same long-term visitor for the duration of her time in Monteverde, which can be anywhere from 6 weeks to months. The potential decrease in condom use that might occur as these sexual relationships are maintained over time is an issue that should be studied more in-depth.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Patel Center for Global Solutions (formerly the Globalization Research Center) at the University of South Florida, and the support provided by the Monteverde Institute. Special thanks to Noé Vargas, Christina Calderón, Sophia Klempner, and to our research participants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, SOC 107, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA

    Nancy Romero-Daza

  2. 5704 Shaw Street, Unit 4, Haslett, MI, 48840, USA

    Andrea Freidus

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  1. Nancy Romero-Daza
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  2. Andrea Freidus
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Correspondence to Nancy Romero-Daza.

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An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11133-009-9128-2

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Romero-Daza, N., Freidus, A. Female Tourists, Casual Sex, and HIV Risk in Costa Rica. Qual Sociol 31, 169–187 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11133-008-9096-y

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