ORIGINAL PAPER Sexual Harassment among Young Tourists Visiting Mediterranean Resorts Amador Calafat • Karen Hughes • Nicole Blay • Mark A. Bellis • Fernando Mendes • Montse Juan • Philip Lazarov • Barbara Cibin • Mari Angels Duch Received: 16 February 2011 / Revised: 10 May 2012 / Accepted: 19 May 2012 Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012 Abstract Despite the known increase in substance use and risky sexual behaviors among young people during holiday periods, issues of sexual harassment (SH) and having sex against one’s will (SAW) have not received adequate attention. We imple- mented a cross-sectional airport-based study to identify experi- ence of SH and SAW in 6,502 British and German holidaymakers aged 16–35 years visiting tourist resorts in Southern Europe (Crete, Cyprus, Italy, Portugal, and Spain) in summer 2009. Across all participants, 8.6 % reported SH during their holiday and 1.5 % reported SAW. Women reported higher levels of SH than heter- osexual males. However, gay and bisexual males reported SH levels similar to females and the highest levels of SAW. Of 19 predictor variables tested, ten were independently associated with SH. SH was increased in those who were visitors to Mallorca or Crete, British, younger, female, gay or bisexual, frequently drunk on holiday, cocaine users, and attracted to bars where people get drunk, or where there are opportunities for sex. Among 13 pre- dictor variables tested for SAW, four were significant. SAW reduced in those visiting Cyprus, and was strongly associated with being a gay or bisexual male, using cannabis on holiday and being attracted to bars where there were opportunities for sex. Holiday resorts represent a key location for SH and SAW, espe- cially for holidaymakers who get drunk and use drugs. Preventive programs can raise awareness of the risks of unwanted sexual encounters on holiday and work with the tourist industry and tourist authorities to develop environments where sexual aggression is not tolerated. Keywords Sexual harassment Á Nightlife Á Tourism Á Holidays Á Alcohol use Á Drug use Introduction Research has identified the increased health risk behaviors that young people engage in when holidaying abroad, including sub- stance use, violence, and risky sexual activity (Blay et al., 2010; Hughes et al., 2008, 2009; Rogstad, 2004). Some researchers have called this phenomenon behavioral inversion, whereby certain meanings, morals, or norms of ordinary behavior are changed, held in abeyance or even reversed during holiday periods (Graburn, 1983). This can contribute to the suppression of personal limits and favor excessive use of alcohol and drugs and risky sexual activity (de Oliveira Santos & Paiva, 2007; Lomba, Apo ´stolo, & Mendes, 2009). Thus, previous research has shown that casual sexual encounters in youth holiday resorts can be commonplace and mediated through substance use (Downing et al., 2011). However, less is known about young people’s experiences of more aggressive sexual encounters dur- ing holidays abroad, including sexual harassment (SH) and hav- ing sex against their will (SAW). To date much research on SH and SAW among young people has focused on college students, largely in the U.S. (e.g., Abbey, Zawacki, Buck, Clinton, & McAuslan, 2004). For example, one A. Calafat (&) Á N. Blay Á M. Juan Á M. A. Duch European Institute of Studies on Prevention (Irefrea), Rambla, 15, 28,3 a 07003 Palma de Mallorca, Spain e-mail: irefrea@irefrea.org K. Hughes Á M. A. Bellis Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK F. Mendes Irefrea Portugal, Coimbra, Portugal P. Lazarov KENTHEA-Education on Drugs and Treatment of Drug Addicted People, Larnaca, Cyprus B. Cibin Irefrea Italia, Venice, Italy 123 Arch Sex Behav DOI 10.1007/s10508-012-9979-6