| EDITORIAL >
Sex and the city
Written by: Philippe Riboton
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YOU DON'T NEED binoculars those days to notice that Prague is
slowly but surely becoming - among other things - a sex destination.
Want proof? Just walk down Wenceslas square any evening of the
week. When nighttime comes and the top retail shops have closed,
another business wakes up and a new world emerges...one populated
by prostitutes offering their services every ten meters or so,
and armies of "salesmen" giving you a bit of practical
orientation to the strip bars that have recently mushroomed throughout
the city. In fact, it is no secret that the arrival of low-cost
airlines to Prague has brought a new clientele of "tourists" flying
in for a weekend of Czech beer and cheap sex (or the other way
around, if you prefer). Some say this is hurting the image of the
Golden City, as it deters the quality clientele that are ready
to spend top dollar (assuming the dollar is still on top), and
who will just go spend it somewhere else in Europe. Prague's reputation
has supposedly gotten so tarnished that some international (meaning
American) movie stars might be reluctant to come to Prague to shoot
movies, for fear of seeing the world...the way it is! Sure, this
may not look as stylish on a postcard as Golden Lane or Tưn church,
but let's admit it: lots of other European cities have had a "sex
district" on the tourist map for decades, and nobody is making
a fuss about it. Who is ready to argue that Amsterdam has lost
its touristic attractiveness or its international appeal because
of the goods on display behind its glass windows? Business people
and pleasure-seekers alike are still queuing up to visit the Dutch
capital; the sex industry has just become a legitimate part of
it like any other. So why couldn't this also become a normal feature
of the Czech landscape, assuming it would be regulated somehow
and controlled by the relevant authorities? Taking the risk of
not seeming especially politically correct, this month The Prague
Tribune reveals another side of Prague business - a tour through
sex and the city.
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