I think in a lot of Western countries, romantic relationships probably mean that you have someone to be physically intimate with. (Correct me if I am wrong!)
I come from a conservative Asian family where pre-marital sex is taboo. In that case, if we took out physical intimacy, to you, where would the difference between friendship and a relationship lie?
I mean, I can ask a male friend to go to a movie just as I might do with a boyfriend, and similarly, we can chat for ages about everything.