S&M... that’s Skye and Mull for a kinky break
SCOTLAND’S tourism industry should offer kinky sex holidays to couples in a bid to cash in on a growing market, according to academics.
Tourism experts believe bondage and sadomasochism have become so popular that hotels and tour operators could profit by offering themed getaways similar to yoga retreats and painting breaks.
The idea comes after erotic novel and film Fifty Shades of Grey sparked an explosion in interest in BDSM – sexual practices involving bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism.
Sales of sex toys and lingerie rocketed and the second film in the trilogy, 50 Shades Darker, is due next month.
A handful of Scottish hotels already offer ‘discreet’ breaks for couples, providing ‘any special requests’ desired. But Dr Andrew MacLaren, a marketing lecturer at Heriot-Watt University said this is set to become far more mainstream.
Other countries already have sex themed hotels featuring dungeons, stripper poles and even cages.
Dr MacLaren said: ‘BDSM has captured the mainstream imagination and people are becoming more aware of it. It’s something that could be packaged by Scotland’s or the UK’s tourism industry. It could be that businesses organise BDSM retreats where a group of enthusiasts gather for a week, or hotels offer erotic packages where guests hire equipment.
‘After all, Scotland is quite cold, it would be something to keep tourists warm and an alternative to Nessie-hunting and whisky-tasting.’
The research by experts at Heriot Watt University and the University of Strathclyde is published in the journal, Tourism Management.
The paper states: ‘Deviant activities move from the margins to the mainstream. Many tourist activities previously perceived as deviant have gone through this process.
‘The Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy of novels has brought sexual practices involving bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism into the mainstream. Desire and fantasy can be translated into tourism dollars.’
A spokesman for luxury couples only self-catering firm The Hideaway Experience, in Auchterhouse near Dundee, said it offered ‘discreet’ themed breaks for couples.
She added: ‘Our Fifty Shades experience is very popular. It is definitely true to say that sex holidays and BDSM is a growing market.’