Tourism Thailand Vows to End Dual Pricing Amid Growing Tourist Backlash

[Purdey]

So a foreigner gets on a bus and pays five times more than the Thai who arrives in a Mercedes Benz because the foreigner is rich? 

Got it. 

 

 

[worrab]

On 5/1/2025 at 2:31 PM, DaRoadrunner said:

They can start by ending dual pricing at hospitals. I will believe it when I see it.

I had to have a hernia op at Prachuap Khiri Khan Hospital, government, about 7 years ago. I was in for 3 nights and paid less than a person from our village who had exactly the same op and stayed one night less!! What dual pricing??

[PeeJayEm]

On 5/1/2025 at 2:26 AM, BritManToo said:

London museums and parks all free for everyone.

How is this possibly relevant?  Economic demographics of the two countries are totally different both internally and in relation to tourists too.  Besides the UK is socialist-cum-communist and Thailand's philosophy is principally self-sufficiency and less state interference.

[richard_smith237]

3 hours ago, worrab said:

On 5/1/2025 at 2:31 PM, DaRoadrunner said:

They can start by ending dual pricing at hospitals. I will believe it when I see it.

I had to have a hernia op at Prachuap Khiri Khan Hospital, government, about 7 years ago. I was in for 3 nights and paid less than a person from our village who had exactly the same op and stayed one night less!! What dual pricing??

 

This dual pricing...    Dutch Expat receiving cancer treatment at a Hua Hin Hospital...

 

 

[StayinThailand2much]

While they're at it, IF they were serious, they could also stop common scams, like 'taxi no meter', or 'I will now switch off meter and you pay me 500 baht for the 10 minutes into town' as soon as you step out of the airport... (Alternatively, allow Grab & Co. at the airport. 😉)

 

(And yes, I know, there is a taxi booking counter at Don Muang, but who wants to wait another two hours or so, after more than half a day on plane, in airports, and at Immigration...)

[DjSilver08]

9 hours ago, kwilco said:

It is neither - that's just your own prejudice and misinformation

Thailand is "Land Of Scams" - LOS

 

Thailand will never be able to stop with dual pricing, unless they make not only illegal and a crime by law, and set a high fine with prison.

 

Since, it's easy to understand that dual pricing is both racism and discrimination.

 

And as long as even some Thai tries to charge 80 baht instead of 40 baht for a meal of food, it will always be a Land Of Scammers.

[grain]

13 minutes ago, DjSilver08 said:

Thailand is "Land Of Scams" - LOS

 

Thailand will never be able to stop with dual pricing, unless they make not only illegal and a crime by law, and set a high fine with prison.

 

Since, it's easy to understand that dual pricing is both racism and discrimination.

 

And as long as even some Thai tries to charge 80 baht instead of 40 baht for a meal of food, it will always be a Land Of Scammers.

It's actually baked into the culture. Thais see signs in Thai listing dual prices at temples and gov run places like national parks, so they don't think it's a wrong thing to do, they think it's the correct thing to do. If they don't overcharge the foreigners they're letting the team down.

[kwilco]

9 hours ago, thaimacky said:

...then I'm glad this problem has been a thing of the past since 2011.

Why do you think it's a "thing of the past"? Do you even understand what that phrase means?

[kwilco]

21 minutes ago, grain said:

It's actually baked into the culture. Thais see signs in Thai listing dual prices at temples and gov run places like national parks, so they don't think it's a wrong thing to do, they think it's the correct thing to do. If they don't overcharge the foreigners they're letting the team down.

Racist misuse of the word "culture"...first of all culture is not static so your whole premise is based on a misunderstanding.

[Photoguy21]

50 minutes ago, DjSilver08 said:

Thailand is "Land Of Scams" - LOS

 

Thailand will never be able to stop with dual pricing, unless they make not only illegal and a crime by law, and set a high fine with prison.

 

Since, it's easy to understand that dual pricing is both racism and discrimination.

 

And as long as even some Thai tries to charge 80 baht instead of 40 baht for a meal of food, it will always be a Land Of Scammers.

I thought racism and discrimination were, in practice, the same thing.

[kwilco]

56 minutes ago, DjSilver08 said:

Thailand is "Land Of Scams" - LOS

QED - just pure prejudice...Calling Thailand the "Land of Scams" is a lazy, prejudiced take that adds nothing to the debate. Dual pricing is a flawed practice with many negative effects but it is not racism, and not even unique to Thailand. Oversimplifying it as “scamming” ignores the real economic context and just reflects personal bitterness, not understanding. If you want change, start with facts and respect — not clichés and name-calling.

[biggles45]

10 hours ago, kwilco said:

I bet you can't explain why with evidence.

 

Lived/visited here for 20+ years and this issue is raised regularly. A bit like corruption, road deaths etc. Nothing has ever changed, how much more evidence do you need? 

[kwilco]

17 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

I thought racism and discrimination were, in practice, the same thing.

Is discrimination the same a s racism? Not really they are both often coded language used by racists, though. As there are 3 stages, stupid, stupider and racist, they often misuse the words to enhance their racist misconceptions and give them a false air of gravitas.
Discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of people based on certain characteristics, such as race, gender, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or nationality. It can occur in many areas of life, including employment, education, housing, and public services.
Racism, on the other hand, is a specific form of discrimination. It refers to prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone based on their race or ethnicity, often rooted in the belief that some races are inherently superior to others.
So the key differences are the discrimination is a broad term that can apply to many types of bias (not just race) and racism is a specific type of discrimination that targets race or ethnicity.
Unfortunately Racists use the word especially when claiming racism is practiced against themselves this is a common issue.
Racists like to accuse others of “discrimination”  and claim that they themselves are victims of racism, they often use the term to describe any situation where they feel they’re being treated unfairly because of their race. This is an ignorant misapplication of the term  used defensively or manipulatively to deflect criticism.
Also the word "culture" (see above) is often used as a coded substitute by those who want to express racist ideas without directly referencing race. This is referred to as "cultural racism" or "coded language", and is used by racists  to mask prejudice as concern for values, traditions, or social norms.
 

[kwilco]

11 minutes ago, biggles45 said:

 

Lived/visited here for 20+ years and this issue is raised regularly. A bit like corruption, road deaths etc. Nothing has ever changed, how much more evidence do you need? 

You're not very good at evidence in an argument, are you? It is highly illogical to suggest that there will be no change because in you shallow experience " Nothing has ever changed," in the past 20 years - THe fact is in the last 20 years there have been many changes in how the national parks charge entrance fees - they have even changed the way they apply dual pricing and there have been various (noy many) papers that have addressed this topic and how national parks are maintained.

[kwilco]

38 minutes ago, biggles45 said:

lived/visited here for 20+ years

You don't realise that this is not an argument - it is a false claim to authority - Living here 20 years doesn’t make you right — it just means you’ve had 20 years to form an opinion, not necessarily an informed one.

[PETERTHEEATER]

If I fly into a The National Park in my helicopter I have to pay ThB 2500 jusr the chopper landing never mind the 300 entry fee.

This.....is.....disgraceful! 😀

[kwilco]

19 minutes ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

If I fly into a The National Park in my helicopter I have to pay ThB 2500 jusr the chopper landing never mind the 300 entry fee.

This.....is.....disgraceful! 😀

Is there a differential or dual pricing for foreigners. Most of the people I've seen landing in helicopters in national parks have been government officials - I didn't realise private flights were allowed. So how do the DNP manage this?

[AlexRRR]

On 5/1/2025 at 1:30 PM, Free the 115 said:

I have no problem with dual pricing. 
if their wages were on a par with mine, I might do, …..but they aren’t……so I don’t 

I would like to wager that the majority of the complainants are student types, who get discounted heavily in their home countries and expect similar here. 
I know that there are certain locations that extract the urine with the pricing, but to me it’s simple. I don’t enter.

Moving on to food, if someone buys food every day from me, of course I am going to offer them better prices than someone I see a few times a year, so again I have no problem with that.

I didnt mind when it was reasonable but since corvid they in most cases have doubled the cost for tourists to enter, lately when ever ive wanted to enter ive been quoted 400 to my partners 50, just very recently one place it was free for her and her 3 Thai nieces but 400 for me, so I went for a short drive and had a long coffee instead, the TGF was pretty pissed off when she came out, 140 per drink for each of them....well....they got them another way, and I missed out on the opportunity to pay for all of there drinks and snacks....and no never been able to get the Thai price ever when offering my Thai driving licence or pink ID card.

 

And its all lip service if anyone thinks its going to change, also doubling the Farang cost of entering while the Thai price remained the same is another point of discrimination for me, anyway I dont care, if I really want to go in id pay it but...ive payed the 200 Thai free to have lunch at some <deleted>ttttyyyyyy floating market, nothing to see or do, ive walked up a <deleted>ttyyyyy walking track full of stones nearly breaking my neck in the process and payed for the privilege of no safety in the stinking humidity etc etc so I dont need to do it anymore...

[Jerry777]

Most of the National Parks are a joke and not worth visiting. I think its just another way to say" Farang we hate you'

 

After enough years here you realize that's the deal, they do not like us, are jealous and most will cheat you when given the chance.

 

Many years ago, the best King ever here who was born in the USA told the Thai people to stop robbing the Farang's they will bring you lots of money.

[marin]

18 minutes ago, Jerry777 said:

Most of the National Parks are a joke and not worth visiting. I think its just another way to say" Farang we hate you'

 

After enough years here you realize that's the deal, they do not like us, are jealous and most will cheat you when given the chance.

 

Many years ago, the best King ever here who was born in the USA told the Thai people to stop robbing the Farang's they will bring you lots of money.

I would say you are the joke as so many Thai National Parks are wonderful. Also King Bhumipol never said that, jesus dude.