It’s time to scrap two-tiered pricing for foreigners in Thailand: TAT spokesman

[herwin1234]

i can live with a two tier pricing system for National Parks but the recent new two tier system for medical care is deeply disturbing and offensive and injust and a lot of other things.

[DrMJA]

IT'S ABOUT TIME...!!! 

     . . . but I'll believe it when I see it ????

[wazzupnow]

4 hours ago, bristolgeoff said:

This double pricing has gone one for years,somehow i think it never change.they talk about It but nothing happens

they talk about It but nothing happens

isnt that what thailand is all about ?

talk only?

[Venom]

Double the price and there'd be no issue but ten times the local price is over top top considering what you get. 

[Trillian]

1 minute ago, herwin1234 said:

i can live with a two tier pricing system for National Parks but the recent new two tier system for medical care is deeply disturbing and offensive and injust and a lot of other things.

I don't know that it is. Is it really right that just because the Thai economy is smaller than say the US (or which ever country you want to use for the example) economy and the cost of living on a PPP basis is far less, that Americans for example should be allowed to flock to Thailand to take advantage of cheaper health care costs? If that is allowed the Thai system will soon be overwhelmed and before long the quality of service provided to Thai nationals will degrade in quality. 

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Thats why its a good idea to hook up with a Thai girl.  To take care of business for you.

That also has hidden prices !

[dantilley]

Good to see this topic is out there and being discussed. Whereas the TAT don't have any real authority as such, they will no doubt be consulted a lot during this period as Thailand looks to get tourism back on its feet. 2-tier pricing not only puts some people off going to an attraction that has the policy, but it tarnishes Thailand's reputation. Now that the cat's out of the bag, hopefully the policy can be abolished.

 

While they're at it, another policy that should be scrapped is the 220 Baht fee for using all banks' ATMs. This is one of the highest rates in the world and also leaves a bad impression on Thailand, especially when people get back home and see all of these $7 / £5 charges on their bank statements.

[Chongalulu]

2 hours ago, hanssna said:

I don't see this happening so easily. Places like Similan islands, Mu Koh Phi phi etc. are huge milking cows. Don't believe they will reduce the Marine park fees. And for many other 'attractions' I see the same. And don't think they'll raise it for Thais ????

Except no one is buying the milk now and it’s running onto the ground. Better to get something for it than stand in front of an overpriced sign with people just walking on by.

[Mr Meeseeks]

2 minutes ago, american2 said:

I would hope it was time to scrap more than just two tiered pricing.  A type O visa requires at least 800,000 Baht in a Thai Bank sixty days before visa renewal.  Meaning you must have more income to cover expenses in the sixty days leading to visa renewal.  A type O A is 400,000 Baht.  A Government employee with multi years experience and training is only earning in the neighborhood of 360,000 Baht.

Additionally a Type O visa holder is required to have insurance  which is approved (and has been invested in by the Thai Soveriegn Wealth Fund).  The cost varies by coverage and age but let us approximate the cost being 60-70,000 Baht.  The Insurance must be paid and certified prior to visa renewal.  My estimation is one must have (for a Type O Visa) 1,000,000 Baht.  I don't fault the need for Inurance.  Type O A visa holders who are not required to have Insurance are  gambling if living here uninsured.  Personally I do not frequent places with the dual pricing as it is not a payment I am willing to make.

The financial requirements are absolutely necessary to keep out the unwanted riff-raff unfortunately.

 

There can be no correlation with Thai wages as the Thais, quite rightly IMO, only want those visitors that can support themselves adequately during their temporary stay here.

 

Hopefully they will tighten the loophole about having agents deposit funds even further as that is still being exploited I believe.

 

You only have to look over the border to Cambodia to see what happens when you let in all and sundry... boiler room scamming going on, junkies dying daily in guesthouses and old sexpats being robbed and dying of heart attacks in $100 per month rooms. 

 

[Grumpy John]

The price gouge of farang at national parks is what keeps me out.  No it's not me that gets browned off with having to pay 10 times as much but my Jewish by nature Thai wife.  I don't want to go hiking anyway!   On the local level I wanted an electrician for 2 days work. Everything is here, yellow tube, wall clips,  switches,  wall sockets,  new circuit breakers, cable.  Two guys came and quoted.  3500 one and 3800 the other.  Wifey said: No No No!  They charge farang price.  Apparently it's 450/day for the lecky and 300 a day for the goffer!  

[Airbagwill]

2 tier charging in National Parks

 

2 tier pricing does not help Thailand's international image, nor does it help the national parks.

There has been research on this some time in the past and it was found that most Thais would pay a slightly higher entrance fee - from 20 to 40 or 40 to 80 baht.

 

Remember it is not a REDUCED fee for locals or even Thais, it is a 10 fold INCREASE for foreigners. this is not comparable to discounts for locals/students/elderly that happens elsewhere.

The extra charged to foreigners does little or nothing to help the finances of National Parks as the numbers are to small when taken into consideration with the total including nation granted funds.

in fat the high fees for foreigners act as a DETERANT to potential visitors.

 

Technically the fee is payable every day - with means for a family visiting the pk for a few days it becomes more expensive than a beat resort holiday.

 

The 2 tier policy is a symptom of the incompetency involved in running tr National Parks. In the last few decades successive governments have "taken credit" for opening more and more National Parks but the funding has not kept apace with this. 

 

The result is that apart from a few Sanctuaries the parks record on conservation is vey poor - underfunding protection programs and systems with poor salaries for rangers, meaning they are extremely vulnerable to the attempts at bribery of people wishing to illegally exploit the reserves in the parks

 

This includes not just "headline" creatures like tigers but also other animals , logging and flora and fauna in general hunting poaching and illegal plant gathering all go relatively un-disturbed due to lack of funds..

 

So scrapping the idea of 2 tier charges is just the first step of a raft of measures needed to save or maintain the Kingdom's natural heritage.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 2, 2020 by Airbagwill

[Trillian]

12 minutes ago, herwin1234 said:

i can live with a two tier pricing system for National Parks but the recent new two tier system for medical care is deeply disturbing and offensive and injust and a lot of other things.

Sorry, one more thing....it's not two tier it's four tier, including Thai nationals:

 

1. Foreigners from neighbouring countries (including Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam)
2. Foreigners working or studying in Thailand (Non B, ED, M)
3. Foreign retirees and tourists (Non O, TR, VOA)

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/expats/thai-public-hospitals-now-have-two-tiered-pricing-for-their-services

[herwin1234]

2 minutes ago, Trillian said:

I don't know that it is. Is it really right that just because the Thai economy is smaller than say the US (or which ever country you want to use for the example) economy and the cost of living on a PPP basis is far less, that Americans for example should be allowed to flock to Thailand to take advantage of cheaper health care costs? If that is allowed the Thai system will soon be overwhelmed and before long the quality of service provided to Thai nationals will degrade in quality. 

that is odd. so in your line of reasoning "more customers" will translate in "degrading quality"? Like any business, the more paying customers is a good thing, not a bad thong.

 

Anyway, before this recently introduced two tier system for medical care, the medical services were not overwhelmed nor were there other issues.

 

Besides Americans flying to Thailand in large groups to take advantage of affordable medical care, what about  foreigners living here?  A farang i know did bring his Thai son to a hospital and was billed the expensive farang  price. That is deeply injust, towards Thai families who happen to have one farang family member. 

 

I dont know other countries with a two tier system for medical care, Different price charging for people who have a long stay visa is simply very wrong.

[Millcx]

4 hours ago, Chelseafan said:

At last!! Someone in authority who not only has indentified the problem but explained the pitfalls of dual pricing.

 

Tanse Petsuwa, you've bought a tear to my eye

 

Well done Richard Barrow .. A saviour of correct information for expats .. Legend “;0)

[tribalfusion001]

7 minutes ago, dantilley said:

Good to see this topic is out there and being discussed. Whereas the TAT don't have any real authority as such, they will no doubt be consulted a lot during this period as Thailand looks to get tourism back on its feet. 2-tier pricing not only puts some people off going to an attraction that has the policy, but it tarnishes Thailand's reputation. Now that the cat's out of the bag, hopefully the policy can be abolished.

 

While they're at it, another policy that should be scrapped is the 220 Baht fee for using all banks' ATMs. This is one of the highest rates in the world and also leaves a bad impression on Thailand, especially when people get back home and see all of these $7 / £5 charges on their bank statements.

Transferwise to Thai bank and free withdrawals unless like me you setup your Kbank in Pattaya and reside in BKK when in Thailand.

[Arkady]

What I find most despicable is the government run tourist sites that show the Thai price in Thai numerals in the hope that foreigners will be unable to figure out they are being fleeced. I stopped going to these places years ago because of the dual pricing. Now I have Thai nationality I still don't want to go because the dual pricing left a sour taste in my mouth.  I will only go, if forced to by the missus.  Most of the waterfalls etc are uninteresting and poorly maintained anyway.  It's obvious that the extra money taken from foreigners goes somewhere other than maintenance of the sites.

 

The argument about paying tax is nonsense because the vast majority of Thais don't pay any income tax. They only pay VAT on what they purchase which foreign tourists also do.  Anyway they have never officially allowed foreigners who work in TH and pay far more tax than the average Thai to pay the Thai prices.

[Trillian]

9 minutes ago, herwin1234 said:

that is odd. so in your line of reasoning "more customers" will translate in "degrading quality"? Like any business, the more paying customers is a good thing, not a bad thong.

 

Anyway, before this recently introduced two tier system for medical care, the medical services were not overwhelmed nor were there other issues.

 

Besides Americans flying to Thailand in large groups to take advantage of affordable medical care, what about  foreigners living here?  A farang i know did bring his Thai son to a hospital and was billed the expensive farang  price. That is deeply injust, towards Thai families who happen to have one farang family member. 

 

I dont know other countries with a two tier system for medical care, Different price charging for people who have a long stay visa is simply very wrong.

Already Blue Cross in the US outsources a fair amount of it's service to hospitals in Thailand, that's partially where the multi-tier system came from.

 

https://books.google.co.th/books?id=efpMAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA77&lpg=PA77&dq=blue+cross+US+outsources+to+thailand&source=bl&ots=a53RfIsnhw&sig=ACfU3U09DStLu-wrGDPEvP3qksxWR575Pw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjTrKerpq7qAhX0zDgGHcQFB_MQ6AEwAHoECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=blue cross US outsources to thailand&f=false

 

The health care system here, as anywhere, has a finite capacity, if there's a surge in demand that capacity can easily be overwhelmed, as we've seen in the West as a result of covid19. And private hospitals in Thailand have grown in number massively, one of the downsides is that they draw expertise from the state run hospitals who are suddenly understaffed. It's not as though you can train medical staff in short timescales, a sudden shift in demand needs a decade or so in order to meet the demand with qualified staff.

Edited July 2, 2020 by Trillian

[thailand49]

Tough to believe first forget all what other country does it this is Thailand the thing to do is the " right thing " but I don't see it nothing but talk like always the people who have the power to change it won't because they are a bunch of good old boys racist!  Last year they put into law that you can charge foreigner higher prices at public and private hospital don't believe go back and take a look when they announced the prices if you want to be tested for the VIRUS! 

[Bangkok Barry]

4 hours ago, djayz said:

I don't believe my eyes!!! 

They haven't done anything at all yet except talk. Why does it suddenly now not make sense to charge foreigners more when, according to government policy, it has made sense before? What has changed? Nothing at all. And the justification for continuing it is even there in the article - others do it to. And will they outlaw businesses that have long taken their cue from the government and also run a two-tier policy?

[Airbagwill]

15 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

The financial requirements are absolutely necessary to keep out the unwanted riff-raff unfortunately.

 

So how about Thai "riff-raff?" - do you seriously think a one tier system would result in hoards of foreign "ref-raff" going into the parks - there is no research to suggest that to be the case.

[dantilley]

3 minutes ago, tribalfusion001 said:

Transferwise to Thai bank and free withdrawals unless like me you setup your Kbank in Pattaya and reside in BKK when in Thailand.

Not entirely sure what you're saying here, but if you mean transferring money internationally to avoid the ATM withdrawal fees, then of course almost no tourists will do this, only perhaps the occasional case where someone used to live in Thailand and still has their old bank account active.

[Airbagwill]

1 minute ago, Bangkok Barry said:

They haven't done anything at all yet except talk. Why does it suddenly now not make sense to charge foreigners more when, according to government policy, it has made sense before? What has changed? Nothing at all. And the justification for continuing it is even there in the article - others do it to. And will they outlaw businesses that have long taken their cue from the government and also run a two-tier policy?

The information and justification has been out there for ages - you seem to be assuming that Thai authorities always follow good advice - if that was the case then the road death figures would be the same as EU by now.

I think you seriously over-estimate the ability of Thai authorities to listen to good advice.

[GAZZPA]

22 minutes ago, Trillian said:

I don't know that it is. Is it really right that just because the Thai economy is smaller than say the US (or which ever country you want to use for the example) economy and the cost of living on a PPP basis is far less, that Americans for example should be allowed to flock to Thailand to take advantage of cheaper health care costs? If that is allowed the Thai system will soon be overwhelmed and before long the quality of service provided to Thai nationals will degrade in quality. 

Rubbish, the pricing is lower because the entire economic world is cheaper in Thailand. Thai people are not losing money to each other and just waiting for foreigners to come in before they earn any money. 

 

Also what is wrong with going to a country that is cheaper and living a better life? What is the point of flying all the way to Thailand if they are going to charge you loads more money with 2 tier pricing? May as well stay local if thats the case.

[Airbagwill]

32 minutes ago, herwin1234 said:

i can live with a two tier pricing system for National Parks but the recent new two tier system for medical care is deeply disturbing and offensive and injust and a lot of other things.

so it's just you, if it doesn't firstly affect you it doesn't matter?

 

[Trillian]

Just now, GAZZPA said:

 

What is the point of flying all the way to Thailand if they are going to charge you loads more money with 2 tier pricing? May as well stay local if thats the case.

You always have that option, but if you chose not to exercise it don't complain about the cost, it was after all your choice.

[GAZZPA]

3 minutes ago, Airbagwill said:

So how about Thai "riff-raff?" - do you seriously think a one tier system would result in hoards of foreign "ref-raff" going into the parks - there is no research to suggest that to be the case.

I think what it more likely is it attracts the foreign dumbass and keeps out the intelligent foreign people.. ????

[digger70]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

It’s time to scrap two-tiered pricing for foreigners in Thailand: TAT spokesman

That's a Laugh, He can say whatever he want's Nothing's going to change in a hurry. 

To much corruption and to much greed and a giant attitude and a don't care problem. 

For me it doesn't matter they can charge whatever they like ,GF and me check first  if it isn't right we don't buy or do it we only pay Thai Rates 

[Airbagwill]

3 minutes ago, digger70 said:

That's a Laugh, He can say whatever he want's Nothing's going to change in a hurry. 

To much corruption and to much greed and a giant attitude and a don't care problem. 

For me it doesn't matter they can charge whatever they like ,GF and me check first  if it isn't right we don't buy or do it we only pay Thai Rates 

There seem to be 2 highly dubious attitudes on this thread

 

first - "if I don't do it, I don't care"

secondly  - an attempt to hie one's ignorance by with cynicism.

 

this appears to be an example of both?

Edited July 2, 2020 by Airbagwill

[Bangkok Barry]

6 minutes ago, Airbagwill said:

The information and justification has been out there for ages - you seem to be assuming that Thai authorities always follow good advice - if that was the case then the road death figures would be the same as EU by now.

I think you seriously over-estimate the ability of Thai authorities to listen to good advice.

I think you've not understood my post. I said they've done nothing except talk, which is normal. And I see no reason that would change.

Interesting swerve to link double-pricing with the road accident toll though.

[GAZZPA]

Just now, Trillian said:

You always have that option, but if you chose not to exercise it don't complain about the cost, it was after all your choice.

Oh goodness,, another member  of "if you don't like it stay at home" brigade... Well I was working there with my company so how is that fair? Dual pricing is wrong and unfair, many people who chose to go there may not know how much it goes on until they get there. Why don't you go away and try and think of something more useful to say, meanwhile the people who do have a spine and don't like bending over every time they want to go to the park will keep pushing for it to be abolished,,, luckily it finally looks like the Thai authorities are acknowledging it as being unfair (thanks to the foreigners who own a spine) so it will be changed no thanks to people like you.