Overtourism and Covert Prostitution Practices: A Case Study in the Tourist Area of Lembang, West Bandung

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-680-2_7How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Overtourism; Covert Prostitution; Transformation of Prostitution Practices; Tourist Destinations

Abstract

The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy has inspired the Indonesian government to develop 1,000 tourist villages, one of which is in Lembang, West Bandung Regency, known for its natural attractions and cool air. Although Lembang attracted 3.8 million visitors in 2023, it has the potential to experience overtourism, which could negatively impact the environment and local communities, including an increase in social deviations, such as covert prostitution. The aim of this research is to explore and analyze the impact of overtourism by identifying and understanding the covert prostitution practices associated with the phenomenon of overtourism in tourist destinations. To investigate covert prostitution practices and overtourism in the tourist destination of Lembang, this study employs a qualitative approach using a case study method. We collected data through interviews with sex workers, pimps, and villa caretakers, as well as observations at tourist locations. Research findings indicate that covert prostitution practices in Lembang have transformed from traditional physical locations, such as guesthouses and hotels, to digital platforms like the MiChat app. This technology allows sex workers to have greater freedom in choosing their locations and to rely on their own operational costs, such as boarding houses. In addition, the strategies employed by pimps and sex workers, such as intensive communication and meeting emotional needs, serve to create a satisfying experience for clients, enhancing loyalty and frequency of visits, becoming a form of hospitality in tourism. The increase in tourist attractions has led to a rise in demand for prostitution services, especially during holidays and weekends, becoming part of the overtourism phenomenon.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Siti Nurbayani
AU  - Sri Wahyuni
AU  - Puspita Wulandari
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/04/26
TI  - Overtourism and Covert Prostitution Practices: A Case Study in the Tourist Area of Lembang, West Bandung
BT  - Proceedings of the Asia Pacific Sociological Association Conference  (APSA 2024)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 78
EP  - 92
SN  - 2667-128X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-680-2_7
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-680-2_7
ID  - Nurbayani2025
ER  -