Thai man massively overcharged at national park because he looks like a farang

[arunsakda]

I'm sorry this is rubbish. Based on this they should actually charge much more and foreigners 100 times local price and keep the majority of Thais out. The standard and income of parks would improve.

Look at the examples from Africa.

I have been to a few of these NP's. A dirty waterfall. A dusty carpark infested with aggressive feral dogs, Minging from their droppings and waystes. Nearby food sellers cooked food in stalls streaming in clouds of black flies. I would never return, even for free.

Edited October 7, 2015 by arunsakda

[Soutpeel]

Soutpeel, there's a difference between observing someone who has different physical characteristics, and then going on to charge a higher price because of those characteristics. It's ok to be observant. It's no ok to charge higher prices because a person has dark skin or lighter than average skin, or kinky hair or freckles or whatever Thai people don't have.

It cant be racism if a Thai citizen or PR who hsppens to be "foreigner"is given the local price on the basis of producing a thai ID or PR document/card can it ?....

if said person on producing a Thai ID or PR was refused then this would be construne as racism....

Per this OP the person was refused because he couldnt produce a Thai ID card or PR document fact is the person is neither a citizen or a PR

Fact is i visted a place over the weekend which has dual pricing and was given the Thai price on the basis of a Thai DL and i would never be mistaken as Thai, if this racism aasertion was correct i would have had to pay the Thai price irrespective would i ?

Fact this, this thread should now be closed as its head line has proved to be incorrect

Edited October 7, 2015 by Soutpeel

[boomerangutang]

Soutpeel, there's a difference between observing someone who has different physical characteristics, and then going on to charge a higher price because of those characteristics. It's ok to be observant. It's no ok to charge higher prices because a person has dark skin or lighter than average skin, or kinky hair or freckles or whatever Thai people don't have.

Im sorry but you're talking nonsense. No one could mistake me for a thai and a park attendant or anyone else would be perfectly justified in assuming that because of my appearance I was not Thai. They would also be perfectly justified asking me to pay the no Thai fee based on my appearance. If I then produced a Thai ID card to prove I was a Thai and he continued to insist I was charged the non Thai rate then that would be racism.

Thailand charges the higher rate to non citizens of Thailand regardless of the race, skin colour etc. It's a nationality issue not race.

It starts at the gate: physical appearances of all those entering are ascertained within a second by those manning their posts. Those who look SE Asian (flat nose, amber skin, shorter build, black straight hair) are charged regular price. Those who don't look SE Asian are charged 10x. That's racism, pal.

A few basic things Thai tourism experts don't seem to comprehend:

>>> every tourist who visits the country will be spending Bt.1,000 to 25,000 per day of outside money - within Thailand. Financial stats show that each baht gets circulated about 6 times before it winds up in a bank account. That crunches to roughly 6k to Bt.150k per person per day that Thailand won't get circulated in its economy - for each person who gets turned off by its racist policy.

>>> Farand don't like being charged more. Add that to the other things which turn farang off to Thailand (their sisters and daughters getting raped, for example, with cops not caring to apprehend rapists) .....and it's no surprise that other SE Asian countries are attracting tourists which aren't going to Thailand. I subscribe to a Nat'l Geographic Travel mag. In the back are glowing mentions of dozens of top quality destinations, including Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Vietnam, Malaysia. Thailand's not mentioned.

>>> In farang countries, there's not double pricing, except sometimes a bit of a discount for kids or seniors. Certainly not double pricing predicated on physical appearance.

[boomerangutang]

I'm sorry this is rubbish. Based on this they should actually charge much more and foreigners 100 times local price and keep the majority of Thais out. The standard and income of parks would improve.

Look at the examples from Africa.

I have been to a few of these NP's. A dirty waterfall. A dusty carpark infested with aggressive feral dogs, Minging from their droppings and waystes. Nearby food sellers cooked food in stalls streaming in clouds of black flies. I would never return, even for free.

Interesting point. Farang are much less prone to dropping litter than Thais - at a park. Perhaps for that reason, Thais should be charged more, because they require more maintenance. Sometimes I go to a Thai park and bring a plastic bag. Yes, I pick up and put litter in the bag - quite a bit.

[KamalaRider]

Soutpeel, there's a difference between observing someone who has different physical characteristics, and then going on to charge a higher price because of those characteristics. It's ok to be observant. It's no ok to charge higher prices because a person has dark skin or lighter than average skin, or kinky hair or freckles or whatever Thai people don't have.

Im sorry but you're talking nonsense. No one could mistake me for a thai and a park attendant or anyone else would be perfectly justified in assuming that because of my appearance I was not Thai. They would also be perfectly justified asking me to pay the no Thai fee based on my appearance. If I then produced a Thai ID card to prove I was a Thai and he continued to insist I was charged the non Thai rate then that would be racism.

Thailand charges the higher rate to non citizens of Thailand regardless of the race, skin colour etc. It's a nationality issue not race.

I'm also sorry, but you are the one talking nonsense, when someone steps up to the cashier and speak perfect Thai, that's when a question about Thai Id might be asked for, not based on the appearance or looks, if that happens, that's exactly what racism is all about.

Personally, I don't give a hoot the system is still both racist and degrading.

[KamalaRider]

What IS racist is the underlying ideas that spawn these policies.

The underlying idea behind dual pricing is to maximise the income to the park. How can you make it about racism!

If I would utter such nonsense, my father would turn over in his grave and call me an idiot.

Please read my former post to you.

[steven23]

Dual pricing for museums and national parks are so common in europe, Go to Venice and you will se different prices for locals and different from tourist, it is all ower Europe

[MartinL]

Dual pricing for museums and national parks are so common in europe, Go to Venice and you will se different prices for locals and different from tourist, it is all ower Europe

See Page 16, Post 398 this thread.

[spidermike007]

Thais only get paid $5 a day for a 12 hour shift. I dont have a problem paying the farang price!

Thais trying to scam tourists is what needs to change such as the Bangkok taxis.

5 us$ is 175 baht while minimum wage is 300 a day.

Thank you. Complete ignorance always needs to be corrected. Like the people who say the Chinese make five cents per hour. An education can be a good thing.

[spidermike007]

Soutpeel, there's a difference between observing someone who has different physical characteristics, and then going on to charge a higher price because of those characteristics. It's ok to be observant. It's no ok to charge higher prices because a person has dark skin or lighter than average skin, or kinky hair or freckles or whatever Thai people don't have.

Im sorry but you're talking nonsense. No one could mistake me for a thai and a park attendant or anyone else would be perfectly justified in assuming that because of my appearance I was not Thai. They would also be perfectly justified asking me to pay the no Thai fee based on my appearance. If I then produced a Thai ID card to prove I was a Thai and he continued to insist I was charged the non Thai rate then that would be racism.

Thailand charges the higher rate to non citizens of Thailand regardless of the race, skin colour etc. It's a nationality issue not race.

It starts at the gate: physical appearances of all those entering are ascertained within a second by those manning their posts. Those who look SE Asian (flat nose, amber skin, shorter build, black straight hair) are charged regular price. Those who don't look SE Asian are charged 10x. That's racism, pal.

A few basic things Thai tourism experts don't seem to comprehend:

>>> every tourist who visits the country will be spending Bt.1,000 to 25,000 per day of outside money - within Thailand. Financial stats show that each baht gets circulated about 6 times before it winds up in a bank account. That crunches to roughly 6k to Bt.150k per person per day that Thailand won't get circulated in its economy - for each person who gets turned off by its racist policy.

>>> Farand don't like being charged more. Add that to the other things which turn farang off to Thailand (their sisters and daughters getting raped, for example, with cops not caring to apprehend rapists) .....and it's no surprise that other SE Asian countries are attracting tourists which aren't going to Thailand. I subscribe to a Nat'l Geographic Travel mag. In the back are glowing mentions of dozens of top quality destinations, including Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Vietnam, Malaysia. Thailand's not mentioned.

>>> In farang countries, there's not double pricing, except sometimes a bit of a discount for kids or seniors. Certainly not double pricing predicated on physical appearance.

There seem to be literally hundreds of things Thai tourism officials do not understand. Chief among them is tourism! Few have a background in tourism. Few understand the concept of tourists getting fed up with nonsense, never wanting to return. Few understand the concept of fairness and being reasonable, and showing common sense.

[elviajero]

Thais only get paid $5 a day for a 12 hour shift. I dont have a problem paying the farang price!

Thais trying to scam tourists is what needs to change such as the Bangkok taxis.

5 us$ is 175 baht while minimum wage is 300 a day.

Thank you. Complete ignorance always needs to be corrected. Like the people who say the Chinese make five cents per hour. An education can be a good thing.

The minimum wage applies to employed Thais. There are millions of Thai's working cash in hand for well under the minimum wage!

[LeeKat]

He looks more like a Russian. False ID maybe?

Edited October 8, 2015 by LeeKat

[metisdead]

An off topic Nazi generalization post has been removed.

[steven23]

the average monthly income maybe is 13500 baht now , but that includes many superrich billionaires, so the vast majority of thais still earns less than 10 thousand per month, for the whole family.

as i said dual pricing exists everywhere, even in europe.

http://spectator.sme.sk/c/20052242/index.php/c/20017500/illegal-practice-of-dual-pricing-still-rife.html

http://bank-of-cardiff-reviews.com/venice-tourist-ripoff-investigated-by-eu/

The date at the end of the "Slovak Spectator" article is November, 2002, before EU membership. The practice was, even then, illegal in Slovakia & under investigation. Maybe resolved & outlawed totally by now - can't find any other reference to it.

The second link is about the occurrence of double pricing in Venice. This is under EU investigation.

This article explains the case a bit more clearly http://www.thelocal.it/20150511/belgian-raises-alarm-over-venice-price-gap .

It mentions that a discount card is available for residents and those who live in the region. It DOESN'T say those residents have to be Italian so is available to a Thai (or any other foreigner) resident of Venice - exactly the same as applies to any 'western' local resident rate I read about on here or know from experience, the existence of which Thai-apologist posters like to use to justify Thai dual pricing. There's even a discount card for tourists, albeit more expensive than the residents' card.

A spokesman for a Venice conservation group says that they see the differential pricing as a way of controlling/reducing tourism (and maybe slowing the rate at which Venice is disappearing into the lagoon, which would be a tragedy). Note the official tourist numbers for Venice (area 415 sq. km.); around 25 million, about the same as for the whole of Thailand (area 513,120 sq. km.) in 2014. No wonder the city is disappearing and in desperate need of funds for maintenance.

Thailand wants more tourists yet is actively & with Government approval pursuing a pricing policy that others use to DIScourage tourism. Unlike in Venice, 'local' in Thailand means 'of a particular nationality' not 'living in a particular location'.

Slovakia & EU investigate dual pricing with a view to eliminating it. Thailand encourages it in all walks of life.

DUAL pricing actually increase tourism, ( domestic one) not decrease, as someone who lived in Venice i can assure you that this politics will stay for a long long time!

honestly, i dont your thai bashing, look all around Europe, China, japan, You have everywhere dual pricing

[nontabury]

the average monthly income maybe is 13500 baht now , but that includes many superrich billionaires, so the vast majority of thais still earns less than 10 thousand per month, for the whole family.

as i said dual pricing exists everywhere, even in europe.

http://spectator.sme.sk/c/20052242/index.php/c/20017500/illegal-practice-of-dual-pricing-still-rife.html

http://bank-of-cardiff-reviews.com/venice-tourist-ripoff-investigated-by-eu/

The date at the end of the "Slovak Spectator" article is November, 2002, before EU membership. The practice was, even then, illegal in Slovakia & under investigation. Maybe resolved & outlawed totally by now - can't find any other reference to it.

The second link is about the occurrence of double pricing in Venice. This is under EU investigation.

This article explains the case a bit more clearly http://www.thelocal.it/20150511/belgian-raises-alarm-over-venice-price-gap .

It mentions that a discount card is available for residents and those who live in the region. It DOESN'T say those residents have to be Italian so is available to a Thai (or any other foreigner) resident of Venice - exactly the same as applies to any 'western' local resident rate I read about on here or know from experience, the existence of which Thai-apologist posters like to use to justify Thai dual pricing. There's even a discount card for tourists, albeit more expensive than the residents' card.

A spokesman for a Venice conservation group says that they see the differential pricing as a way of controlling/reducing tourism (and maybe slowing the rate at which Venice is disappearing into the lagoon, which would be a tragedy). Note the official tourist numbers for Venice (area 415 sq. km.); around 25 million, about the same as for the whole of Thailand (area 513,120 sq. km.) in 2014. No wonder the city is disappearing and in desperate need of funds for maintenance.

Thailand wants more tourists yet is actively & with Government approval pursuing a pricing policy that others use to DIScourage tourism. Unlike in Venice, 'local' in Thailand means 'of a particular nationality' not 'living in a particular location'.

Slovakia & EU investigate dual pricing with a view to eliminating it. Thailand encourages it in all walks of life.

DUAL pricing actually increase tourism, ( domestic one) not decrease, as someone who lived in Venice i can assure you that this politics will stay for a long long time!

honestly, i dont your thai bashing, look all around Europe, China, japan, You have everywhere dual pricing

As someone who used to be employed by the English Tourist Board, I am not aware of any dual pricing in England, there are instances of locals gaining lower entrance or even free entrance, eg York Minster.

Quite a number of years ago, the then government even tried to give free entrance to foreign visitors while still charging the Brits, thankfully someone came to their senses and decided to continue charging every one the same,no matter what nationality,colour or religion.

[selftaopath]

Publicity seeker! Having 5,000 "friends' tells us that!!

He does look farang and if he didn't (unknown) show his ID card to prove otherwise the attendant had every right to charge him the going rate.

I've visited many parks in this country and if I show my Thai drivers licence I get in for the Thai price!

And whats the problem with dual pricing anyway. Western tourists can afford to pay more. Would the foreigner still visit if Thais were made to pay the same? It's 200 baht, take it or leave it.

The problem with dual pricing is it is unfair and a lot of Westerners cannot keep affording to pay 10 times more then locals/

Most foreigners who come here are tourists, when considering to go on holiday if they were told Thailand is not cheap for foreigners because as a foreigner you pay much more then locals due to dual pricing how many would come? And then give them your justification that as foreigners you can afford it so take it or leave it, I am sure you would be most unpopular to say the least.

The appeal of some countries is the fact that they are cheaper to live so people can enjoy themselves and live in a style that they perhaps could not do back home, thats a great appeal and something to really look forward to once a year. In this scenario more people come, more business for locals and everybody wins. At present all I hear is complaints over the dual pricing, this cannot be good for Thailand.

I hope more world travelers get to know/understand the real Thailand/ LOS = Land of Scams.

[h90]

Well, he does look like a foreigner

Joking aside, the article didn't mention if he did show the ID card or not..

"However, despite Mr Grittapohn, who has a Thai ID card, explaining to the attendant he was in fact Thai the attendant insisted on him paying the 200 Baht."

it is elegant dancing around that......So we can assume he did not show the Thai ID card. Else it would say "despite Mr. G., showing his Thai ID card".

With showing it, he clearly proofs that he is a Thai national. Without showing it, it is clear that is not Thai ethnic.

[metisdead]

This topic is not about apartheid, off topic bickering posts and replies have been removed.

[h90]

the average monthly income maybe is 13500 baht now , but that includes many superrich billionaires, so the vast majority of thais still earns less than 10 thousand per month, for the whole family.

as i said dual pricing exists everywhere, even in europe.

http://spectator.sme.sk/c/20052242/index.php/c/20017500/illegal-practice-of-dual-pricing-still-rife.html

http://bank-of-cardiff-reviews.com/venice-tourist-ripoff-investigated-by-eu/

The date at the end of the "Slovak Spectator" article is November, 2002, before EU membership. The practice was, even then, illegal in Slovakia & under investigation. Maybe resolved & outlawed totally by now - can't find any other reference to it.

The second link is about the occurrence of double pricing in Venice. This is under EU investigation.

This article explains the case a bit more clearly http://www.thelocal.it/20150511/belgian-raises-alarm-over-venice-price-gap .

It mentions that a discount card is available for residents and those who live in the region. It DOESN'T say those residents have to be Italian so is available to a Thai (or any other foreigner) resident of Venice - exactly the same as applies to any 'western' local resident rate I read about on here or know from experience, the existence of which Thai-apologist posters like to use to justify Thai dual pricing. There's even a discount card for tourists, albeit more expensive than the residents' card.

A spokesman for a Venice conservation group says that they see the differential pricing as a way of controlling/reducing tourism (and maybe slowing the rate at which Venice is disappearing into the lagoon, which would be a tragedy). Note the official tourist numbers for Venice (area 415 sq. km.); around 25 million, about the same as for the whole of Thailand (area 513,120 sq. km.) in 2014. No wonder the city is disappearing and in desperate need of funds for maintenance.

Thailand wants more tourists yet is actively & with Government approval pursuing a pricing policy that others use to DIScourage tourism. Unlike in Venice, 'local' in Thailand means 'of a particular nationality' not 'living in a particular location'.

Slovakia & EU investigate dual pricing with a view to eliminating it. Thailand encourages it in all walks of life.

DUAL pricing actually increase tourism, ( domestic one) not decrease, as someone who lived in Venice i can assure you that this politics will stay for a long long time!

honestly, i dont your thai bashing, look all around Europe, China, japan, You have everywhere dual pricing

As someone who used to be employed by the English Tourist Board, I am not aware of any dual pricing in England, there are instances of locals gaining lower entrance or even free entrance, eg York Minster.

Quite a number of years ago, the then government even tried to give free entrance to foreign visitors while still charging the Brits, thankfully someone came to their senses and decided to continue charging every one the same,no matter what nationality,colour or religion.

In Austria we have dual pricing, based on dialect....speak the local dialect get the cheap price, speak Germany German and pay the full price....

[DirtyDan]

Nothing wrong with giving locals a discount (many places do so, including Disneyland in the USA)..

However, something is very wrong with only giving discounts to those of a certain skin colour.

[flyingdoc]

Let's have a definitive ruling on policy from the P-M !

[bander]

I just show my Thai driving licence and always get Thai price

Well my nephew has not got an Australian driver licence because he is on a student visa

and he is not allowed to get one but he still pays the same as me

An Australian driver license won't help him here in Thailand, but a student card will give him discount.

[Lukasisgood]

discriminatory pricing is not a big deal. Even in the states when it comes to hunting or fishing states charge much more for somone comeing from another state. It's a valid economic model that actually works quite well. There are other things the thai tourism authority should be worried abou. The world is a different place and people with money generally are not stupid and very connected. The old guys who dont use social media or understand the power of information at their finger tips are dying out. Too much bad press and rest assured their money will be sent elsewhere.

Edited October 17, 2015 by Lukasisgood

[nontabury]

discriminatory pricing is not a big deal. Even in the states when it comes to hunting or fishing states charge much more for somone comeing from another state. It's a valid economic model that actually works quite well. There are other things the thai tourism authority should be worried abou. The world is a different place and people with money generally are not stupid and very connected. The old guys who dont use social media or understand the power of information at their finger tips are dying out. Too much bad press and rest assured their money will be sent elsewhere.

Discriminatory pricing no big deal, so if a black man was charged more in your country would you still say "no big deal" ?

To day my Thai family of 10 people including my Thai wife and two children wanted to visit Nung Nut botanicals garden. Knowing of the blatant discrimination at some attractions, my wife rang them up to ask would I as a Farang be charged more than the rest of the family, at first they said Yes, she then told them that this is wrong, explaining to them that I a Farang have two eyes two legs and two arms the same as a Thai. They then relented and agreed to allow me access on production of a Thai driving licence proving I am a resident of Thailand.

Interestingly later my eldest,10yrs ( half Thai) said that he does not like his dad being discriminated against because he is not Thai and could we leave Thailand and go and live in the UK.

So it shows Lukasisgood that even some children recognise discrimination.

Edited October 17, 2015 by nontabury

[icare999]

<deleted> Racism here. I am absolutely sick of it. Applies in every corner of this land. I refuse to pay the additional and if they insist I walk away.

well i agree with policy most forang are far far richer than thais. But o ne perfect solution would be to charge say 2000 to 5000 baht for a visa and include free entry to all national parks.

[Lukasisgood]

discriminatory pricing is not a big deal. Even in the states when it comes to hunting or fishing states charge much more for somone comeing from another state. It's a valid economic model that actually works quite well. There are other things the thai tourism authority should be worried abou. The world is a different place and people with money generally are not stupid and very connected. The old guys who dont use social media or understand the power of information at their finger tips are dying out. Too much bad press and rest assured their money will be sent elsewhere.

Discriminatory pricing no big deal, so if a black man was charged more in your country would you still say "no big deal" ?

To day my Thai family of 10 people including my Thai wife and two children wanted to visit Nung Nut botanicals garden. Knowing of the blatant discrimination at some attractions, my wife rang them up to ask would I as a Farang be charged more than the rest of the family, at first they said Yes, she then told them that this is wrong, explaining to them that I a Farang have two eyes two legs and two arms the same as a Thai. They then relented and agreed to allow me access on production of a Thai driving licence proving I am a resident of Thailand.

Interestingly later my eldest,10yrs ( half Thai) said that he does not like his dad being discriminated against because he is not Thai and could we leave Thailand and go and live in the UK.

So it shows Lukasisgood that even some children recognise discrimination.

That's illegal here, but the differences in prices are probably because in general forigners can aford more. I don't like it that it costs 4 times more to purchase a hunting tag for Idaho but it's well Understood that hunters that travel can aford abd will pay more. I have a degree in economics and discriminatory pricing is a term that is used without the racial connotations. In general it's better for an economic system if suppliers can charge more for those willing and able to pay more.

I'm sure there is real racial issues there, but the pricing differences are there for a reason. If the point of unitary price elasticity made them less money when they increased the price for forigners, they wouldnt do it. Without the economic jargon it means they charge more because farang will pay it. If they diddnt they wouldnt do it. So blame the farang not the thai.

Edited October 17, 2015 by Lukasisgood

[elviajero]

discriminatory pricing is not a big deal. Even in the states when it comes to hunting or fishing states charge much more for somone comeing from another state. It's a valid economic model that actually works quite well. There are other things the thai tourism authority should be worried abou. The world is a different place and people with money generally are not stupid and very connected. The old guys who dont use social media or understand the power of information at their finger tips are dying out. Too much bad press and rest assured their money will be sent elsewhere.

Discriminatory pricing no big deal, so if a black man was charged more in your country would you still say "no big deal" ?

To day my Thai family of 10 people including my Thai wife and two children wanted to visit Nung Nut botanicals garden. Knowing of the blatant discrimination at some attractions, my wife rang them up to ask would I as a Farang be charged more than the rest of the family, at first they said Yes, she then told them that this is wrong, explaining to them that I a Farang have two eyes two legs and two arms the same as a Thai. They then relented and agreed to allow me access on production of a Thai driving licence proving I am a resident of Thailand.

Interestingly later my eldest,10yrs ( half Thai) said that he does not like his dad being discriminated against because he is not Thai and could we leave Thailand and go and live in the UK.

So it shows Lukasisgood that even some children recognise discrimination.

That's illegal here, but the differences in prices are probably because in general forigners can aford more. I don't like it that it costs 4 times more to purchase a hunting tag for Idaho but it's well Understood that hunters that travel can aford abd will pay more. I have a degree in economics and discriminatory pricing is a term that is used without the racial connotations. In general it's better for an economic system if suppliers can charge more for those willing and able to pay more.

I'm sure there is real racial issues there, but the pricing differences are there for a reason. If the point of unitary price elasticity made them less money when they increased the price for forigners, they wouldnt do it. Without the economic jargon it means they charge more because farang will pay it. If they diddnt they wouldnt do it. So blame the farang not the thai.

Absolutely right. Discriminatory pricing in the case of park entrance is a business decision and I wish others would stop trying to connect it to racism. Tourism is a business, the park is a product, and Thailand is maximising it's revenue.

I believe most tourists don't have a problem with the pricing because even though they pay 10 times more it's still easily affordable. And whinging hypocritical expats only seem to have a problem with dual pricing when they're refused a discount.

[Soutpeel]

discriminatory pricing is not a big deal. Even in the states when it comes to hunting or fishing states charge much more for somone comeing from another state. It's a valid economic model that actually works quite well. There are other things the thai tourism authority should be worried abou. The world is a different place and people with money generally are not stupid and very connected. The old guys who dont use social media or understand the power of information at their finger tips are dying out. Too much bad press and rest assured their money will be sent elsewhere.

Discriminatory pricing no big deal, so if a black man was charged more in your country would you still say "no big deal" ?

To day my Thai family of 10 people including my Thai wife and two children wanted to visit Nung Nut botanicals garden. Knowing of the blatant discrimination at some attractions, my wife rang them up to ask would I as a Farang be charged more than the rest of the family, at first they said Yes, she then told them that this is wrong, explaining to them that I a Farang have two eyes two legs and two arms the same as a Thai. They then relented and agreed to allow me access on production of a Thai driving licence proving I am a resident of Thailand.

Interestingly later my eldest,10yrs ( half Thai) said that he does not like his dad being discriminated against because he is not Thai and could we leave Thailand and go and live in the UK.

So it shows Lukasisgood that even some children recognise discrimination.

So in this example you have proved there is no racism intended in these polices...as if the polices where based on racism was you still wouldnt be getting in Thai DL or not

In your own words and theirs...." proving i am a "resident of Thailand" therefore you have proved the whole premise of dual pricing as being "racist" is BS and is in fact based on percieved "residence" in Thailand

Interesting enough i was at Nong Nooch as well yesterday with the extended family and was let in for local price on showing a Thai DL without having to make any phone calls or having my Mrs voice any "discrimination" and all the times i have been there in the past it has been the same

So what can we conclude from alll of this ? " Farang doth protest too much"

[gk10002000]

Absolutely ridiculous and wrong Title for the article. He is NOT a Thai man. He had a Thai driver's license. That does not make him a Thai man/national. If he was indeed born in Thailand to Foreign parents, he doesn't seem to have ever claimed Thai citizenship. His parents and him probably had no desire to have him serve in the Thai armed services. So getting past the stupid article title, it does seem to be a bit ambiguous on what the National policy or local policy or more importantly laws have to say about what constitutes getting the local Thai discount. Here in the states, state residents or even local county or city residents get discounts or cheaper prices for many things. State fishing licenses, beach fees, etc. All part of a "tourism" thing and quite common. Now the rates are never 10 times what the locals pay. I am pretty sure the USA national parks do not have different prices for in-state or out of state residents or even foreigners for that matter.

[nontabury]

discriminatory pricing is not a big deal. Even in the states when it comes to hunting or fishing states charge much more for somone comeing from another state. It's a valid economic model that actually works quite well. There are other things the thai tourism authority should be worried abou. The world is a different place and people with money generally are not stupid and very connected. The old guys who dont use social media or understand the power of information at their finger tips are dying out. Too much bad press and rest assured their money will be sent elsewhere.

Discriminatory pricing no big deal, so if a black man was charged more in your country would you still say "no big deal" ?

To day my Thai family of 10 people including my Thai wife and two children wanted to visit Nung Nut botanicals garden. Knowing of the blatant discrimination at some attractions, my wife rang them up to ask would I as a Farang be charged more than the rest of the family, at first they said Yes, she then told them that this is wrong, explaining to them that I a Farang have two eyes two legs and two arms the same as a Thai. They then relented and agreed to allow me access on production of a Thai driving licence proving I am a resident of Thailand.

Interestingly later my eldest,10yrs ( half Thai) said that he does not like his dad being discriminated against because he is not Thai and could we leave Thailand and go and live in the UK.

So it shows Lukasisgood that even some children recognise discrimination.

That's illegal here, but the differences in prices are probably because in general forigners can aford more. I don't like it that it costs 4 times more to purchase a hunting tag for Idaho but it's well Understood that hunters that travel can aford abd will pay more. I have a degree in economics and discriminatory pricing is a term that is used without the racial connotations. In general it's better for an economic system if suppliers can charge more for those willing and able to pay more.

I'm sure there is real racial issues there, but the pricing differences are there for a reason. If the point of unitary price elasticity made them less money when they increased the price for forigners, they wouldnt do it. Without the economic jargon it means they charge more because farang will pay it. If they diddnt they wouldnt do it. So blame the farang not the thai.

Absolutely right. Discriminatory pricing in the case of park entrance is a business decision and I wish others would stop trying to connect it to racism. Tourism is a business, the park is a product, and Thailand is maximising it's revenue.

I believe most tourists don't have a problem with the pricing because even though they pay 10 times more it's still easily affordable. And whinging hypocritical expats only seem to have a problem with dual pricing when they're refused a discount.

The National parks no longer allow entry with a driving license, what has happened is that some private businesses have tagged on in order to increase profit. Yet when they are confronted with the realization that this may result in lost profit, the smart ones will relent. The national parks policy is based on race as I showed in a earlier post regarding Koreans gaining entry to the Emerald pool.

As for Southpeels post mentioning why my Thai wife deemed it necessary to ring up the attraction and ask what their policy is. She did it for a very simply reason. We do live some distance from that attraction and she did not want us to make a wasted journey, as she herself is not willing to enter such an establishment that discriminates against her husband. She KNOWS that it is based on race, and she is very ashamed of her country for allowing it. Which just goes to show that some Thais can think for themselves and ask the question "why".