Thailand’s dual pricing still gets everyone posting

[thecyclist]

Vietnam did away with this dual pricing nonsense years ago. Here are the entrance fees to a park on Phu Quoc Island :

[JeezeLooeze]

36 minutes ago, thecyclist said:

The national parks used to be 5 Baht for everyone,Thais and farangs. That was back in the eighties and into the nineties. I was a regular visitor of Khao Yai, biking from Prachinburi to Pak Chon and back. Late nineties (don't remember the exact year) someone in the Forest Department must have noticed that most private attractions - like the Katoey shows and the elephant, snake, crocodile, monkey etc shows were ripping off farangs and getting away with it, decided to follow suit and raised the park fees from 5 to 20 Baht for Thais, and from 5 to 200 Baht for farangs. A 40 fold increase made a nice welcome to Siam mat, on which I never stepped. 

Prior to 2002 National Parks were controlled by the Royal Forestry Department. Their attitude was less about conservation and more about resources "on their land" ripe to be exploited hence a lot of illegal logging. With serious deforestation and corruption NPs were moved over to the newly created National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Plodprasop Suraswadi was the permanent secretary at the time and introduced those huge increase in park entry fees for foreigners. He continued the attitude of exploiting natural parks to provide income but as the few remaining trees could not now be cut down (without a public outcry) he introduced and/or increased numerous fees for Thai and foreigners alike for those using NPs. In March 2020 Plodprasop was jailed for 2 years on corruption charges at the time he was acting permanent secretary. TIT.

Edited June 30, 2022 by JeezeLooeze

[apetryxx]

Very simple solution, I just don’t go.

[Thingamabob]

Not only in Thailand, and it doesn't bother me. Small money after all.

[garyk]

Used to be you could get in for Thai prices if you spoke Thai or had a Thai drivers license.

Now it is *show me the money sucker*

[BangkokReady]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

Well, this post definitely seemed to hit home with a staggering 13.8k views and over 652 responses to date and still rising…. way above the normal response at AseanNow.com

 

Here are just a few of the comments we received. 

Just to confirm, this is a post which mentions another post and some of the comments?  What is new about this?

[malthebluff]

Pure and simple racism. Lots of thai are billionaires but pay 10 times less then the normal working foreigner. And if they are on holiday with wife and kids then that adds up to  alot of money extra. If everyone paid the same they would get more customers and earn more revenue but I dont think they know about business and what  a lost leader is about ie buy a cheap drink no profit to get the customers but then sell them a biscuit at 400 % profit

[Canuckluck]

Give 'em a lil credit they charge everybody the same to use the toilet.

[Raphael Hythlodaeus]

10 hours ago, mikebell said:

Stay away.  Don't go there.  Hit 'em in the wallet till they see sense. (This may take years - Thais are slow learners.)

Around 40 years ago I went to Sukhothai Historical Park and saw a group of young foreigners on pushbikes who wanted to see the place but were put off by the dual pricing. I wrote a letter to the Fine Arts Department who (at that time) issued the park tickets, pointing out they should not discriminate, especially for youngsters. Of course, I didn't receive a reply. So if they can't see common sense in decades then I agree with you - Don't go there.

[Cory1848]

When I’m in the US, I’m in Delaware, and there’s dual pricing here for state parks -- out-of-state visitors pay more than in-state residents. The logic is, Delawareans are already paying something for the upkeep of the parks via state taxes. However, the price differential is reasonable. Seems that the difference in Thailand is ten times more, which is not reasonable.

[SAFETY FIRST]

20 minutes ago, Raphael Hythlodaeus said:

11 hours ago, mikebell said:

Stay away.  Don't go there.  Hit 'em in the wallet till they see sense. 

 So if they can't see common sense in decades then I agree with you - Don't go there

I read sense and common sense from many comments but there is no sense in the comments I'm reading. It's just a moaning fest.

 

Dual pricing was here well before we all arrived in Thailand, we've all known about dual pricing but people still want to complain about it. 

 

It's the Thai way, it works for the Thais. 

Maybe they don't want you in their country, it's a polite way of telling you to go back to where you are from, some people just don't get the hint. 

 

It's pointless complaining, no one is listening. 

 

You're going to have to live with it, be adults. 

 

[unblocktheplanet]

It's not only racist pricing--incidentally, prohibited by even the new military constitution which criminalises discrimination on the basis of race, nationality, age (take a look at BTS, while you're at it--it's the fact they try to hide it by making the Thai prices in Thai language. Sneaky, and greedy.

[zzaa09]

1 hour ago, apetryxx said:

Very simple solution, I just don’t go.

Or even better, don't be overly consumed with angst and hatred regarding these affairs. 

The price differences between good Thai and evil Farang aren't that great - never have been. 

 

Just another [of many] trivialized conduit for whinging Farang to despair about. 

 

Like everything else, overthinking most every situation and aspect of every situation is instinctive. 

Edited June 30, 2022 by zzaa09

[pursus]

I get scammed enough.  I will not pay dual pricing……period

[verticalift]

I’ve lived here in Phuket for over 25yrs. I’m here on a 10yr O-X Retirement Visa. I own my own house with my name on the Tambian Baan Yellow Book. I have Thai I.D…… and still they want to rape me. Mai Khao Jai…..

So, instead of paying-up…… I turn around and leave….. keeping my Baht in my pocket. Mai Mii Pen Hahaha…..

[jesimps]

15 hours ago, 2baht said:

Racism....plain and simple....shame Thailand, shame on you!

Nonsense! Only whites can be racist.

[jesimps]

15 hours ago, mikebell said:

Stay away.  Don't go there.  Hit 'em in the wallet till they see sense. (This may take years - Thais are slow learners.)

Since coming to Thailand 15 years ago, I can honestly say that I've never fallen for the double pricing scam. There's never been anywhere I've wanted to visit badly enough for me to succumb to this caper.

[goatfarmer]

15 hours ago, 2baht said:

Racism....plain and simple....shame Thailand, shame on you!

But they're not ashamed. Don't you find that refreshing?

[itsari]

15 hours ago, Dmaxdan said:

Third world mentally from a third world country. Plain and simple.

 

Thailand is not considered a third world country .

[jesimps]

10 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

It makes sense to me, charging foreigners for extra. 

 

I worked offshore, Songkhla for a few years, my salary was more than 10 times the salary of a Thai. 

 

 

 

So you're suggesting people should be means tested before paying? I'll go with that. I'm sure old Somchai salaryman from Bangkok earns more than me on my meagre UK pension. It's annoying the way rich farang think all farang are in the same boat.

[cncltd1973]

They don't care if you don't like it, or if you boycott it. Thailand is for Thai people and they believe it  is the best place on earth and everyone dreams of coming to Thailand. Complaining won't do anything, they don't care. Love it or leave it. I've personally left Thailand and not looking forward to going back. It's below standard and I'm tired of complaining for nothing and being stuck 40 years behind western norms. Florida is paradise, or maybe I'm just getting old.

[josephbloggs]

7 minutes ago, cncltd1973 said:

They don't care if you don't like it, or if you boycott it. Thailand is for Thai people and they believe it  is the best place on earth and everyone dreams of coming to Thailand. Complaining won't do anything, they don't care. Love it or leave it. I've personally left Thailand and not looking forward to going back. It's below standard and I'm tired of complaining for nothing and being stuck 40 years behind western norms. 

So you hate Thailand, you left Thailand, and you hate complaining for nothing.  Yet here you are reading a Thai forum about Thailand and you're complaining for nothing.

 

i don't understand why people who purport to dislike everything here and eventually leave then feel the need to read forums about the place they don't like and tell everyone how much they don't like it (even though they don't live here).  Really, why?

 

Quote

Florida is paradise, or maybe I'm just getting old.

Yes, you're getting old.  Florida is paradise for old people who have no adventure left in them.  Enjoy!

[emeraldruby]

It's never bothered me in the slightest.. If people can't understand  it or rationalize it they should go home. Moaning about a few dollars  or LOL 'A matter pwincipal' is just sad. There are so many free  festivals and spectacular  events here people should  be grateful. Decent  travelers would be glad  of the opportunity to subsidize poorer Thais and control their envy of wealthy Thais. I'm happy, more than happy to pay a bit more. And guess what? I don't get angry because foreigners get free stuff in England. it does not bother  me.

[hotchilli]

21 hours ago, webfact said:

On June the 8th we posted an article about the resumption of dual pricing fees at national parks, forest parks, botanical gardens, and arboretums. 

Not an issue for me, I vote with my feet and go elsewhere..

[SAFETY FIRST]

6 hours ago, jesimps said:

17 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

It makes sense to me, charging foreigners for extra. 

I worked offshore, Songkhla for a few years, my salary was more than 10 times the salary of a Thai. 

So you're suggesting people should be means tested before paying? I'll go with that. I'm sure old Somchai salaryman from Bangkok earns more than me on my meagre UK pension. It's annoying the way rich farang think all farang are in the same boat

Your meager pension is more than most Thais make a month.

 

Most of us have property back in our home countries, I read in Australia the average house price is now $1,000,000.

To the Thais, you're a wealthy man.

As you put it 'you're a rich farang'

 

I'm sure most members complaining here own property back in their countries, very wealthy people. 

Most of these wealthy complainers should be ashamed of themselves, they are mean, miserable, selfish people, they come to this beautiful Thailand knowing the challenges but continue to cry, always whinging and whining about this and that. 

 

I've worked and traveled to over 40 countries. 

I love the Thai people, you just don't get a nicer bunch, always happy, welcoming,. 

I hope you mean, miserable foreigners don't destroy these lovely people with your hatred and nastiness. 

The Thai's aren't stupid, they see and hear this wicked, evil  behavior. 

 

 

[metisdead]

An inflammatory post has been reported and removed.

[proton]

7 hours ago, itsari said:

Thailand is not considered a third world country .

It by me due to the appalling road deaths, the millions of soi dogs and the wealth gap

[jacko45k]

20 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

????...You just can not let that one go now can you...????

Couldn't make his mind up if he was Thai or Scottish so they charged him for two!

[itsari]

17 minutes ago, proton said:

It by me due to the appalling road deaths, the millions of soi dogs and the wealth gap

I understand your meaning and your reasoning yet in todays world Thailand is considered a developing nation .

[Orinoco]

2 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

I've worked and traveled to over 40 countries. 

I love the Thai people, you just don't get a nicer bunch, always happy, welcoming,. 

I hope you mean, miserable foreigners don't destroy these lovely people with your hatred and nastiness. 

The Thai's aren't stupid, they see and hear this wicked, evil  behavior. 

Think you need a second cup of coffee mate.

And please take those silly rose colored glasses off.