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

[Sumarianson]

I had to pay several hundred just to step on a beach from a boat for 20 minutes and my wife and child paid nothing. Disgraceful.

[rickudon]

How about no 2 tier health system? let farangs pay into Thai SS system even when retired.

[Huckenfell]

7 hours ago, Grusa said:

But...but....but........     Mrs G (farang) won't let me!

For goodness sake. Explain to her that it will be much cheaper.

[GAZZPA]

1 hour ago, chang1 said:

Thanks. In the end it is their country to do as they please but it is the Thais who ultimatly lose out the most, which someone has finally woke up to. A 2 week family holiday costs around £3000, why risk upsetting them for £20? A tourist who feels welcomed and has had a good affordable time is far more likely to return than one who felt disrespected or ripped off. Sure we can afford the higher fees but just seeing 40 Baht for Thais and 400 Baht for me still leaves a bad taste. Double would be the most I would say is fair.

They can charge what they want but I can chose where we go for our next holiday - last year Mauritius this year would have been Vietnam but flights were cancelled. Dual pricing was not the only reason but the whole rip off culture that seems to get worse every year and coupled with the strong Baht means Thailand is not my first choice anymore, which it has been for 20 years. The wife will still come to visit her family but certainly less often together with me.

All in 100% agreement... Boracay in the Philippines is nice by the way if you like luxury holidays like Mauritius..

 

[greeneking]

1 hour ago, pacovl46 said:

I never had a problem with paying 400 Baht to get into Khao Yai! If they slash the prices down to what Thais have to pay, it’s alright with me, but if they increase the price for Thais then it’s not alright with me. 200 Baht, or 400 in the case of Khao Yai, is nothing for a foreigner who can afford to fly to Thailand on holiday, but 400 Baht for someone who makes only 6000 to 10000 a month is a lot, and if they went with their wife and a couple of children it would add up fairly quickly! Since the parks are in Thailand, it should be financially accessible to all Thais.

I agree in many ways.  Many Thais are not rich, and their heritage should be available to them and their children.  Why not make the parks free?

For all.  A lot of money is brought in by tourists flying in to see the attractions  of Thailand already.

Is there really a high cost to keeping these relatively wild areas the way they are?  Wildlife protection and conservation? Really?

Maybe there is a small cost for keeping car parks and toilets and this could easily be paid by food and accommodation business.

Or do vested interests make money from admissions, and extra high admissions from foreigners?

I was amazed by the Ko Samet National Park. Hahaha.

[Knobby37]

No problem for me, I only go in if it’s the same price for all adults

[mlmcleod]

I will believe it when I see it!

 

Thais think it is their right to screw the rich and wealthy foreigners!  They will never give it up!

[utalkin2me]

_{So, let's say they raise prices for Thais to the foreigner price in all national parks.}

_{First question I have for you, is that a victory? How so?}

 

_{Second question: now foreigners enter the parks in very high percentages, while the local kids and adults go in very small numbers. Is little Thai kids not being able to enter national parks a victory?} 

 

_{There are two sides to any argument is the main point here, and it is real easy to only see the side you are on.} 

[Jenkins9039]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

he Tourism Authority of Thailand is eager to scrap the controversial two-tiered pricing entry system that is in place at some national parks and tourist attractions in Thailand.

Such a shame, its only fair to have the two tier system, not going to argue around the bush over it, but a shame.

[CM Dad]

It is correct that many expats simply do not go to these places.  I have lived here for more than 30 years.  I have a Thai family.  Not only do I not visit these places, I do not take my wife and children there either even though they are all Thai citizens and are 100% Thai - my son and daughter were legally adopted by me, a long three-year process done more than a decade ago here in Thailand.  They have visited some of the places with dual pricing, but without me taking them.  There are also a few places that let me in for the Thai price since I speak Thai and asked to be allowed to accompany my Thai family.  There might be other countries that have dual pricing, but my country does not, and I have always resented being charged ten times more even though, unlike those born here, I chose Thailand as my home and paid taxes for more than 20 years.  It is past time to end this discrimination.

[Pattaya46]

2 hours ago, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

// as this will do little to stem the loss of tourists compared to the damage newly announced compulsory Health Insurance will cause.

For most tourists it will be around $20 for this insurance. I doubt about a big damage...

  

36 minutes ago, mlmcleod said:

Thais think it is their right to screw the rich and wealthy foreigners!  They will never give it up!

In some national parks, the dual-pricing is a way to limit the number of visitors to preserve the park and Nature.

Edited July 2, 2020 by Pattaya46

[GAZZPA]

25 minutes ago, Jenkins9039 said:

Such a shame, its only fair to have the two tier system, not going to argue around the bush over it, but a shame.

No point in arguing about it, you're wrong, thats all there is to say. ????

[samsensam]

34 minutes ago, Pattaya46 said:

For most tourists it will be around $20 for this insurance. I doubt about a big damage...

  

In some national parks, the dual-pricing is a way to limit the number of visitors to preserve the park and Nature.

 

really? which ones have this policy?

[GAZZPA]

19 minutes ago, Pattaya46 said:

For most tourists it will be around $20 for this insurance. I doubt about a big damage...

  

In some national parks, the dual-pricing is a way to limit the number of visitors to preserve the park and Nature.

To preserve the parks?! You think the plan is to put people off going by overpricing the facility so the volume of visitors doesn't damage the parks? You think that is the reason for dual pricing? ???? Do you not think that if so many people wanted to go they would have enough money to put practices in place to protect the facility,, like the Coliseum in Rome for example or the Eiffel tower in Paris, or the Pyramids in Egypt,,,. Of course they don't have the challenges of Nong Nooch Botanical Gardens in Jomtien but they seem to manage. I don't think you have thought this through properly.

[chang1]

1 hour ago, Knobby37 said:

No problem for me, I only go in if it’s the same price for all adults

As I have already said before - it is a problem for you if you can't go in.

[GAZZPA]

2 minutes ago, chang1 said:

As I have already said before - it is a problem for you if you can't go in.

In a way he is agreeing with you because he is protesting against the dual pricing by using his feet. If you see what I mean. If he had no problem with dual pricing he would just pay it but he doesn't agree with it so the facility loses him as a customer.

[chang1]

1 hour ago, utalkin2me said:

_{So, let's say they raise prices for Thais to the foreigner price in all national parks.}

_{First question I have for you, is that a victory? How so?}

 

_{Second question: now foreigners enter the parks in very high percentages, while the local kids and adults go in very small numbers. Is little Thai kids not being able to enter national parks a victory?} 

 

_{There are two sides to any argument is the main point here, and it is real easy to only see the side you are on.} 

I doubt many of us are on the side of raising prices for anyone (except maybe those from a country north of thailand).

So, let's say they reduce prices to a more reasonable difference of 150% to 200% of what Thais pay (for subsidised parks and attractions).

First question I have for you, is that a problem for anyone?

 

Second question: now everyone is treated more evenly, why can't everyone enjoy these places together?

 

It is not about a victory it is about treating people fairly. How would you feel if Thais coming to the Lake district national park in the UK were charged 10X as much for everything as someone from London would pay?

[chang1]

17 minutes ago, GAZZPA said:

In a way he is agreeing with you because he is protesting against the dual pricing by using his feet. If you see what I mean. If he had no problem with dual pricing he would just pay it but he doesn't agree with it so the facility loses him as a customer.

I understand that. He is saying he does't have a problem with it, but if it stops him from even going to these places it is a problem for him. Unless of course he has no interest in visiting them anyway. I have also refused to go to these kind of places with my family so it has been a problem for me. Other times I cave in and allow myself to be exploited but then I have no problem going to a different country next time.

[GAZZPA]

2 minutes ago, chang1 said:

I understand that. He is saying he does't have a problem with it, but if it stops him from even going to these places it is a problem for him. Unless of course he has no interest in visiting them anyway. I have also refused to go to these kind of places with my family so it has been a problem for me. Other times I cave in and allow myself to be exploited but then I have no problem going to a different country next time.

quite right, it's not like there are no other choices. Lets hope Thailand get rid of this nonsense.. 

[GAZZPA]

15 minutes ago, chang1 said:

I doubt many of us are on the side of raising prices for anyone (except maybe those from a country north of thailand).

So, let's say they reduce prices to a more reasonable difference of 150% to 200% of what Thais pay (for subsidised parks and attractions).

First question I have for you, is that a problem for anyone?

 

Second question: now everyone is treated more evenly, why can't everyone enjoy these places together?

 

It is not about a victory it is about treating people fairly. How would you feel if Thais coming to the Lake district national park in the UK were charged 10X as much for everything as someone from London would pay?

if something is genuinely subsidised by the government the tourists should not get the same deal, such as healthcare, however residents should get the same deal and people with a work permit should surely? Other then that they should all be the same price for everyone

 

 

[chang1]

3 hours ago, GAZZPA said:

All in 100% agreement... Boracay in the Philippines is nice by the way if you like luxury holidays like Mauritius..

 

Mauritius was for our 10th anniversary so a bit special but it was a close call between there and Ko Ngai. During our last trip to Thailand, I got fined for going through an amber light by a camera in Ubon Ratchattani, so when added to dual pricing for the national park, voted for Mauritius.

[chang1]

13 minutes ago, GAZZPA said:

if something is genuinely subsidised by the government the tourists should not get the same deal, such as healthcare, however residents should get the same deal and people with a work permit should surely? Other then that they should all be the same price for everyone

 

 

Us paying a little extra for things that are subsidised is not a problem for me but 10X more is not. Residents and anyone paying tax are subsiding them so should pay the same as Thais.

[GAZZPA]

6 minutes ago, chang1 said:

Us paying a little extra for things that are subsidised is not a problem for me but 10X more is not. Residents and anyone paying tax are subsiding them so should pay the same as Thais.

agree, seems far too sensible for the Thai authorities though. Cannot destroy the generally accepted culture of treating all foreigners like walking ATM machines... ????

[chang1]

20 minutes ago, GAZZPA said:

I have been scammed by the police on multiples of occasions. I got pulled over on my motorbike, the policeman wrote me a ticket but pretended he could not speak English so I had no idea what it was for, I had to go to the police station to pay the fine and bring back the payment to get my driving licence back. I walked into the police station and asked him what the fine was for, he said for not wearing a helmet, I was holding it in my arms whilst standing behind the desk, showed it to him and said it wasn't true,, waste of time, had to pay them,,, this is one of a thousand reasons why I got my wife and son out of there last year,, so i do hope they mean this press release and do something about this attitude of ripping off foreigners at least...

 

I would not call this a scam or even aimed at farang and I was in the wrong but certainly I thought it was the wrong use of a camera. I covered it in this thread -

 

[Destiny1990]

Interesting that finally some see the damaging sides that double pricing is causing. 

[GAZZPA]

3 minutes ago, chang1 said:

I would not call this a scam or even aimed at farang and I was in the wrong but certainly I thought it was the wrong use of a camera. I covered it in this thread -

 

no, that's fair enough, can't call that a scam aimed at anyone. but you could say it was an alternative interpretation of the law that results in getting money from you.

 

Unfortunately though it is very common for the police, traders, workmen, taxis etc to overcharge or even scam foreigners out of money. I have been on the receiving end too many times and know countless others who have been treated with utter disrespect all in the name of extracting money from you. Thailand should feel ashamed of that point but this press release is the first sign I have seen of an acceptance of the problem, or at least an acceptance of the dual pricing nonsense.

[phantomfiddler]

Too little and too late ????

[GAZZPA]

1 minute ago, phantomfiddler said:

Too little and too late ????

For me (any many others) yes it is but for the future of the Thai economy perhaps not. 

[torturedsole]

If I'm honest, I never allowed the special falang rate bother me.  Even if the government banned it then the attractions will just make up another special falang rate to fill the void.  

 

I've always enjoyed the places I visited in LOS so money well spent.

[Airbagwill]

10 hours ago, GAZZPA said:

I don't see dual pricing in my country, also that also doesn't make it right. I don't see why my noodles in Bangkok should be double my work mates noodles,, 

 

 

It seems some people either see rip-offs everywhere or get ripped off everywhere......... I pay the same for muy noodles as everyone else.