Family Practice Vol. 20, No. 4, 493-494
© Oxford University Press 2003
Correspondence |
Sun, sea and sex? Sexual behaviour of people on holiday in Tenerife
St George’s Hospital Medical School, London SW17 0RE, UK.
Correspondence to E Batalla-Duran, 45, Selkirk Road, Tooting, London SW17 0ER, UK; E-mail: ebatalladuran{at}hotmail.com
Finney found that 32% of a sample of 100 second-year medical students had had sexual intercourse with a new partner whilst on holiday.1 We recently conducted a similar study in a group of people returning from holiday in Tenerife.
In December 2002, we conducted a questionnaire survey of 150 people waiting in the departure lounge of Tenerife airport for a return flight to the UK. The confidential questionnaire asked about their sexual behaviour on that holiday. The aim was to see how many people had had sexual intercourse with a new partner on holiday and if there was any difference in sexual behaviour depending on age, gender and relationship status. The principal investigator (EBD) handed out questionnaires to 150 consecutive people who looked over 16 years old.
The response rate was 91% (136/150). The mean age of respondents was 30 years (range 15–62). Thirty-five percent of respondents (48/136) had had sexual intercourse with someone other than their regular partner on the holiday. There was no difference in sexual behaviour between males and females: 32% (21/66) of men had sex compared with 39% (27/70) of women. Not surprisingly, those under 25 years of age were more likely than those over 25 to have had intercourse with a new partner: 50% (32/64) aged 
25 compared with 22% (16/72) aged >25 (P < 0.001). Similarly, 54% (36/67) of those who said they were single had had sex with a new partner compared with 17% (12/69) of those in a relationship (married or otherwise) (P < 0.0001). Interestingly, nine of the 12 who cheated on their partners took condoms with them on the holiday, indicating a certain amount of premeditation in their actions!
Of the 48 respondents who had intercourse with a new partner on holiday, 31 took condoms with them, but only 27 actually used them. Eight used no contraception and a total of 31 exposed themselves to the risk of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) by not using barrier contraception. Eight had a history of STD (mainly chlamydia), of whom seven took condoms and used them. This possibly indicates a ‘once-bitten-twice-shy’ philosophy.
In this survey, respondents aged less than 25 or who were single were more likely than the remainder to have had sex with a new partner on holiday. This may be because those over 25 were more likely to be married or be in a serious, faithful relationship. Also, the younger generation has grown up in a more sexually liberal environment where casual sex is less frowned upon. The youth of today are having sex earlier and having more partners that 10 years ago.2
We found that 35% of people in our study had sex with new partners whilst on holiday. The holiday atmosphere is geared towards sexual promiscuity, with excesses of alcohol, a perceived lack of consequences and holiday package companies positively encouraging sex. For example, on this holiday, a bottle of champagne was given to the first new couple to have sex.
The generally poor use of a barrier contraception implies a potential for safe sex education to be targeted at travellers to try and stop the rise in STDs, which is being blamed on increased heterosexual relationships abroad.2 Marie Stopes International have produced a sex travel guide called ‘Your Passport to Sexual Health’, but it is left to the traveller to obtain. GPs and practice nurses as well as tour operators or airlines could hand out such literature to target groups, for example young people going on holiday.
References
1 Finney H. Contraceptive use by medical students whilst on holiday. Fam Pract 2003; 20: 93.
2 Public Health Laboratory Services. Sexual health in Britain. Recent changes in high risk sexual behaviour and the epidemiology of STIs including HIV. PHLS Literature July 2002.
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