Paper long abstract:

This paper describes the involvement of young female tourists who visit rural Costa Rica for extended periods of time with gringueros (i.e., local men who actively seek relationships with foreign women). We explore the way in which the desire for sexual adventure that often drives these relations, coupled with the limited availability of condoms, leads to risky sexual behaviors which could facilitate 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 local youth who participate in the tourism-based economy.