Sex tourism: Is Tashkent going the Thailand way?

Note: The Government of Uzbekistan has now imposed curbs on prostitution. With this, lets hope Tashkent becomes a family destination, as it deserves to be


M. Gautham Machaiah

“Sir, do you want a girl?” This is what the cab driver is most likely to ask you in Tashkent, rather than, “Where do you want to go?”

Welcome to the Thailand of Central Asia.

Though it might be difficult to replace Thailand as the sex capital of the world, Tashkent with its booming underground prostitution industry, is set to give Pattaya and Bangkok a run for their money.

Tashkent, which is now the capital of Uzbekistan after the disintegration of Soviet Union, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world with its immaculate tree lined streets, wide walkways, large parks, historic monuments, imposing buildings, 8-D theatres, ballet shows, snow capped mountains, excellent public transport system, pristine rivers and  pollution free environment. But these hold no interest to the average sex-hungry traveller.

The stage was set the moment we landed at the Tashkent airport, with prying eyes virtually stripping every passing woman. This being the first day, we were treated to a gala dinner and belly dance, where our Indian group mates were at their obnoxious best. After some failed attempts to grope the girls, the guys wanted some ‘action’ which the tour operators readily organised elsewhere.

The second day was a shocker. After a hurried sightseeing trip of the City, our tour operator pompously took over the guide’s microphone in the coach and announced two interesting options for the evening. One was the Villa, the other being lap dance.

Now, what’s a Villa? Listen to what our illustrious operator had to say: “A Villa is like a farm house on the outskirts of Tashkent. It has a massage parlour and sauna, a dance floor and two-three bedrooms. You can have a massage, dance with the girls, have some Vodka and then take the girl of your choice to the bedroom. That is not all. After you have had your share of fun, you can even swap your girl with others.”

And then, what about lap dance? “It is a strip tease where the girls will dance completely naked. They will grind on your lap and you are free to fondle them to your heart’s content,” the operator volunteered.

Exciting options indeed!

We then adjourned for lunch so that a considered view could be taken on which of these options to choose from. But even one hour after the lunch, there was no sign of the operators. A little bit of probing revealed that they were busy collecting the advance from those who had chosen their options. After some heckling by me, everybody was herded into the coach to continue the tour in which most were not interested.

“We have come here to see the place, not to drink, dance and womanise,” I protested, but the tour operator shamelessly responded, “That is what people come to Tashkent for. There is nothing to see here.” That was when I realised Tashkent was being sold as a sex destination and the operators were doubling up as touts and pimps. Obviously, a cut from the Villa and strip tease goes to them.

The operator then went on to proudly announce that in the next few days he would fly in a 180- strong contingent from India on an exclusive sex package. “We have factored in all costs ranging from Villas, lap dance and night clubs. There will be no sightseeing, only fun.” While a trip to Tashkent costs less than Rs 50,000, the Gujarati team had shelled out over Rs 1 lakh each,” the operator boasted.

The second half of the City tour ended sooner than it began. While we decided to call it a day, most others made their way to the Villas.

The next day on, we decided to break away from the group and explore the City on our own, but that too did not really solve our problem. Every taxi driver we hired was only interested in making a fast buck by selling to us what seemed to be the most easily available ware – young women. 

One night when we were returning to the hotel after dinner, the only question the Hindi speaking cabbie asked us was, “Do you want girls?” We politely declined first and then firmly when he persisted. Instead, we asked him to take us to a pharmacy as my friend was suffering from a headache. The driver was so upset by our refusal that he drove straight to the hotel and declared, “There are no pharmacies in the City.”

That this driver could speak chaste Hindi only shows his large clientele from India. As our guide, a post-graduate in Finance from London, explained, “We would like to promote Tashkent as a family destination, but most Indians are interested only in sex. In fact, I have been propositioned by some tourists. On one occasion, I had to threaten an Indian with police action after he offered me 100 dollars to spend the night with him!”

Well, the Indian cannot perhaps be blamed for that is the reputation Tashkent has built for itself in the recent past.  Today, people from across the world, not just India, throng Tashkent to satisfy their baser instincts.

The City is also known for its various dance forms, particularly belly dance. There is nothing vulgar about them and the dancers are the epitome of grace and poise. But that does not prevent our disgraceful Indian tourist from doing his best to paw them, despite a clear sign board that the dais is only for the dance troupe.

Most restaurants boast of a dance floor and a visit to Tashkent is not complete without a visit to its famous night clubs. A taxi driver, who was referred to us as an honest man by a friend who had visited the City earlier, promised to take us to a club which showcased the best of dances.

This was one of the top clubs in the City, we were told, and as such we were to pay an entry fee of 15 dollars and a table charge of 50 dollars for two. Mind you, the table fee does not refer to the cover charge...it is a kind of rent to use the table!

We decided to order a beer, but the bearer declared that drinks would be sold only as a package comprising two pints, a bottle of water and soft drinks. That set us back by another 75 dollars.

As we waited, there was no sign of any dance. There was a huge floor where anyone could shake a leg. We soon realised that our ‘honest’ cabbie had conned us by bring us to a pick-up joint where you could choose any girl from the dance floor and take her home. We beat a hasty retreat, having ended up paying over Rs 6,200 for two pints of beer which back home would cost no more than Rs 600 in an upscale restaurant.

We returned to our hotel and another sight greeted us. The lobby was full of hookers and for a moment the place resembled a brothel. Apparently, it is legal in the country for a guest to take a prostitute to the room after paying a fee at the reception. With easy money luring young girls, and the administration turning a blind eye, prostitution seems to have assumed epic proportions.

Tashkent is said to be the one of the biggest exporters of sex workers to Thailand, where ‘Russian girls’ are in great demand. They have now set their eyes on India forcing the government to issue an advisory that abundant caution should be exercised while issuing visas to girls from Central Asian countries.

Uzbekistan is ruled with an iron hand by President Islam Karimov, who commands considerable respect among the youth. “This is a Muslim country and we have a strong President. He will never allow Tashkent to become another Thailand,” says our local guide. But the ground realities belie her claims.

This 20-year-old fledgling country needs to bolster its business and commerce, but flesh trade is definitely not the answer. Sex tourism brings in only limited revenue as people who travel for sex buy only sex, whereas family travellers splurge on shopping thus boosting the local economy.

Tashkent should fashion itself as a family destination rather than a sex hub. It is high time Tashkent realised it has much more to offer to the world, than the nubile bodies of its young daughters.