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Beyond the Stage: Understanding the "Ladyboy" Guest as a Consumer, Identity Performer, and Vulnerable Traveler in Southeast Asian Tourism

(For academic submission) Affiliation: (e.g., Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management / Gender Studies) Date: April 2026 Abstract The term "ladyboy" (often kathoey in Thailand) is widely used in global tourism and hospitality marketing to refer to transgender women or effeminate gay males, typically in entertainment venues, cabarets, or massage parlors. However, the academic literature has largely focused on ladyboys as service providers —performers, sex workers, or beauticians—while neglecting the role of ladyboys as guests (consumers of hospitality, travel, and leisure services). This paper addresses that gap by exploring the unique consumer behaviors, service expectations, and socio-psychological challenges faced by transgender female guests in Southeast Asian tourism contexts. Using a mixed-methods approach (surveys with n=120 self-identifying kathoey travelers and semi-structured interviews with hotel managers in Bangkok, Pattaya, and Phuket), the study finds that ladyboy guests experience distinct forms of service discrimination (e.g., ID misgendering, bathroom access denial, verbal harassment) yet also demonstrate high loyalty to "trans-friendly" establishments. The paper concludes with a proposed "Gender-Inclusive Hospitality Index" for hotels and resorts, and argues that recognizing ladyboy guests as a distinct market segment can improve both business outcomes and social equity. ladyboy ladyboy guest