An expert on the global sex trade believes that more than 20 thousand people in Barbados are involved in the industry.

This is the view of businessman Charles Lewis who says the industry pulls in about 200 million dollars annually into Barbados.

He made the comments Friday morning at a seminar on the Global Sex Trade and its impact on Caribbean tourism at the Hilton hotel.

He called for the authorities in Barbados and the region to legalise the sex industry.

Mr Lewis says several problems have been cropping up in the industry and he wants tourism managers to find solutions to them.

He believes they can be handled by education and by confronting the problems head on.