Longstayers often on pensions or married to Thais. So they pay a lot ( no joke intended) but really it seems outdated now. Students too. If Thais come to UK national Parks free etc although yes London stuff charge.

For hotels try apps for 1st night & see if you can come down on payment to owner for next night's etc.

So if you get offered a discount deal back in your home country you will refuse to accept it as not fair?

 

Kamaaina discounts in Hawaii are special deals and discounts offered to Hawaii residents by various businesses like hotels, restaurants, and attractions. These discounts are a way for local residents to enjoy their home state at a lower cost and are a perk of living in Hawaii. To qualify for these discounts, residents typically need to show a valid Hawaii state ID or driver's license. 

 

Las Vegas locals can find discounts at many casinos, hotels, restaurants, and attractions throughout the city. These deals are often part of promotions like "Locals Unlocked" or are specifically targeted at Nevada residents. Many resorts and entertainment venues offer discounts on hotel stays, dining, shows, and activities. 

 

In Great Britain, various discounts are available to locals for attractions, travel, and other experiences. These can be found through dedicated websites and apps offering deals, as well as through specific membership programs and organizations

 

In Australia, residents can often find discounts and special offers through various programs and initiatives. These include state-specific seniors cards, energy concessions, and regional travel discounts, as well as local business initiatives like "Locals Discount" platforms and specific offers from individual businesses. 

 

Additionally, it's common for museums, attractions, and public transport systems in many countries to offer different pricing for locals versus tourists

2 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

Thais continue to believe that foreigners are totally stupid! Double pricing is bad!

I think Thai prices are subsidized by the government to make the volume while foreigners top up. This is to keep the place running without running at a loss and close down. 

1 hour ago, fittobethaied said:

The real beast that needs to be tackled is the dual pricing in private and even in government hospitals which are government sanctioned by the way.

Government hospitals are there as affordable treatment for Thais only not foreigners or tourists. . Thailand is not ultruistic in nature. If you cannot afford living in Thailand and not brining in the money, then Thailand is not for you. 

1 hour ago, Jack Hammer said:

You are 100% correct.  How many farmworkers, street vendors, day laborers, taxi drivers, food, delivery, people, transport drivers, etc. etc. etc. would be able to take advantage of the discounted scheme.?

Thank you... 

What utter rubbish we all know the tbht is far to strong for a country that relies an exports and tourism. Both would bennifit from a week tbht.  The only people bennifiting from a strong tbht are those sending money out of the country,hiding their wealth by investing in forign property. 

 

More like changed by the government, whereby many important, everyday things that were allowed before, aren't allowed now.

and you insist, you have to provide mountains of documents just to do something that was only a trivial act yesterday.

4 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

I prefer to live in Thailand, but I prefer to holiday in Vietnam.

 

 

Nothing wrong with an occasional change of scenery.

 

 

4 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

 

 

It is true. 

 

Despite the low season rhetoric - Thailand is on course to attract 40 million tourists. Almost record breaking. 

 

They need to weed out low spending cheap tourists, especially those who whinge alot that things aren't cheaper. 

 

Quality tourists don't want to be visiting Thailand with masses and masses of cheap tourists around blocking everything up. 

Are you delusional? Latest estimate is at 33 million for 2025.

1 hour ago, BritScot said:

So arrogant! So ill informed. Thailand built its tourism on American military; Pattaya for Grunts and Phuket for the officers. Thailand needed both then as it does now. After the Americans came the backpackers, hippy types and from there it grew. I first came here in 2002, lived in Thailand while the last two coups and what I've observed is Thailand during that time has not progressed and sometimes regressed. In the bank yesterday with my wife and as the bank was using two systems electronic and paper just the same as in 2002. The computer system still looks like the original Unix system or maybe dos. We now live back in the uk since 2019 so can see and compare and the difference is massive. Even with all the problems the uk has at the moment it is far better than Thailand and apart from a few things the uk is a lot cheaper. Thailand just keeps on milking the golden calf and each year more expats leave or die and they are not being replaced at the same rate. Thailand still only has sex, sea, and sand however the sea is full of raw sewage, pastic waste , beaches are full of wild rabid dogs and as for sex, we'll that is also changing with the likelihood of being rolled robbed and maybe even beaten to a pulp ever more likely. If we did not still have family and a house in Thailand we would never come back here. I personally would love to start holidaying in Vietnam. Thailand will never ever attract High end travellers I'm sorry but the middle east has that well sown up.

.Maybe you're correct but really for  beers, cappuccino coffees, basic  meals out, petrol, shopping, clothes, electronics, hotels, water, utility bills,local tax  etc. 

I would say after 3 weeks comparisons Thailand is far cheaper although yes I am not counting Heath Ins or helping Thai family etc  And I am in SE England whete coffees are now just under £4 that's approaching 200 baht compare to 45bht

Stop whining not happy don't come to Thailand... there are many countries besides Thailand...

Those perks for the semi-divine chosen Thais don't work for Thais either as they have no money left to spend.

The chicken come home to roost as unpaid bills are mounting, unpaid houses mean sleepless nights and unpaid cars are not using tollways. Temples of Show-Off in the suburbs of Bangkok come at a very high price like ignoring needs and time for their own children and tensions among partners. 

Thais use money they do not have to buy things they don't need to impress people they don't like. 

The last thing on their mind is going on holidays; subsidized or not! 

As said, vote with your feet and walk away; you ultimately are in charge and control of what you spend for what. 

Just now, chuang said:

Stop whining not happy don't come to Thailand... there are many countries besides Thailand...

The broader issue here though is trying to address Thailand's falling  visitors. I've seen empty places, deserted beaches, quiet bars, and its Late July, early August which is Farang holiday period. A decade or two ago Hua Hin was booming at this time, yes there's some hot spots still but generally its obvious family numbers etc are down ....

4 hours ago, jacko45k said:

The peak tourist numbers came in 2019, by far the vast majority were Chinese. Followed by Malaysia, India, South Korea  and Russia.

And these tourists are cheap Charlie's and don't help the Thai economy, the majority are on guided tours visiting Chinese owned venues 

Subsidies for locals to boost tourism, to then know that is tax payer money, need to be collected again too. So what exactly is the point? They might as well not have done this and then kept the airport arrival costs where it was instead. It's pathetic governing.

17 hours ago, ozz1 said:

Yes it's a slow season so let's put up the prices that's Thai logic and with the exchange rate people aren't getting value for money so the have to be careful or they will loose to Vietnam

Lose not loose

"Some locals defend this as a matter of business freedom. One resident remarked, "It's a free country. If you don't like the price, don't buy it.""

 

This statement really got my attention. Ripping people off is now a business freedom ?!?! Reminds me of travelling thousands of miles to Cappadocia, Turkey to go on a balloon ride. I had pre-paid 165 USD.  Four hours before the ride the operator increased the price to 250 USD.  Same attitude "If you don't like it, don't pay it ...  no balloon ride".  I chose the refund route, most would have paid the diffierence. After this episode, it really soured my view of Cappadocia I will never recommend nor ever go back there again. This arrogant attitude of "it's a matter of business freedom, it's a free country, If you don't like the price, don't buy it" is pure BS nonsense. A sure fire way of  giving Pattaya a bad reputation and helping the competition. 

2 hours ago, kingstonkid said:

That is actually an easy question to answer.

 

Thai hospitals can claim part of the costs to treat Thais and get reimbursed through the health care system.  

 

There is also the money issue; these hospitals used to lose money from Farang tourists who did stupid things and could not or would not pay.

 In every hospital, (3,) that  have had  surgery  they want the money up front , so i dont know how these foreigners cant / wont pay 

Thais travelling abroad would be in rage if the had to pay the double or triple price as the locals. But in their own country it seems ok

Never been a problem for Thais in this openly racist country

6 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

Quality tourists don't want to be visiting Thailand with masses and masses of cheap tourists around blocking everything up. 

Mr. Muscle Drain unblocker ! I bring it with me 

4 hours ago, hotchilli said:

It's the way Thailand has always acted... Foreigners are perceived to be ultra rich and therefore a target to get ripped off.

90 percent of foreigners are ultra rich compared to 90 percent of Thais, unfortunately I am in the other ten percent but still more wealthy than most in my village

14 hours ago, BayArea said:

the mighty baht. simply amazing!🙄

Yep, so they finally admit they fix the exchange rate

 

3 hours ago, captain_shane said:

They don't care about the foreigners who complain about 20 baht, they don't want them. What don't you get about this? You are a GUEST in their country. They don't even need to allow you to come here, yet they do. They could send you back to your home country if they wanted, yet you're allowed to live here. There's a reason people choose to live here over vietnam and cambodia and phillippines even though those are easier visa wise. Lol, you people are so entitled. You get to live in $100-200 a month apartments and eat food that costs $2-3 and then you complain about dual pricing at national parks. How about you go back to your country and pay $1k+ per month for rent and $15+ for a meal at a restaurant instead?

“ You get to live in $100-200 a month apartments and eat food that costs $2-3 “

 

Ugh, not quite!  My rent is 35k baht a month.  Never seen $2/3 USD meals at Beefeater’s, Bella Italian, Marcos or numerous others.

 

 

45 minutes ago, CLW said:

Thais travelling abroad would be in rage if the had to pay the double or triple price as the locals. But in their own country it seems ok

They will pay extra if they visit state parks as a non resident of the state.
 

Same as a non state resident USC will pay extra.

 

Sometimes, life isn’t fair. 

 

5 hours ago, actonion said:

I  have  e- mailed  months ago   all of the International hospital's in Pattaya  asking them the reason why a Foreigner has to pay  more for all Hospital services  than a Thai person, all of my e mails remain unanswered

It's astonishing that you seem to think that privately owned businesses owe you any kind of explanation about their fee structure!

They say the biggest price differences foreigners pay over Thais is in Pattaya, I wonder what kind of discount the freelancers give locals🤔

4 hours ago, captain_shane said:

A 3 min form to fill out is too hard for you? Go to vietnam then, why are you here in thailand, it's 1400 baht to fly, why not leave? Oh wait, no one actually likes vietnam in reality.

You can't quote that on a Thai-hater expat forum

 

 

Since the government pays 50% of the hotel rate for Thais who sign up for the program, hotels have doubled their rates: Thai guests continue paying the same, and the hotel keeps the entire discount.

 

The problem is that foreigners don't enjoy this discount, so in practice what has been achieved is that Thais continue paying the same, while tourists now pay double.

 

 

3 hours ago, Ctkong said:

Government hospitals are there as affordable treatment for Thais only not foreigners or tourists. . Thailand is not ultruistic in nature. If you cannot afford living in Thailand and not brining in the money, then Thailand is not for you. 

I will have to tell that to the doctors at the local and provincial government hospitals that I use on a regular basis, for treatment and the meds I use daily, I am sure that they could use a laugh.

 

Sure I pay more than the local Thais. The hospital charged me 50 baht for the last appointment, (about GBP 1.15), and I saw the doctor after about an hour rather than waiting days or more for an appointment as I would in the UK. I haven't been to  a national park for years and even when I was in Thailand in the 1990s I probably never went more than once or twice a year.

 

As for paying more than local Thais, I don't. Perhaps it is because I live in rural Thailand and not in Pattaya or other tourist cities, that I don't get ripped off.