Even in liberal Japan, Tokyu Tourist Corp is having a tough time attracting customers for its "Sex and the City New York tour" vacation. The company's bosses were even reluctant to put brochures at store counters because of concerns the title might hurt Tokyu's image.
"So our promotion hasn't been going so well even within the company," said Akiko Mukaiyama, a Tokyu employee handling the tours.
The show is relegated to late night slots in Muslim-dominated Malaysia and Indonesia. It is not shown in India because of censorship rules and fears of offending conservative Indians, said an official at Turner International, which markets HBO in India.
In Singapore, Esther Wong, a single 30-something, says the rich city-state's ban on the show is just an inconvenience, since she can get imported videos. When she gets a new episode, she has friends -- men and women -- over for a Sex in the City party.
"It's so stupid to ban it. Everyone watches it. I watch it all the time," she said.
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