Some 50 Malaysian tourists refuse to pay park fee at Lipe island

[daiwill60]

Just do not visit these locations.

Further, if some store does not have proper prices on their goods. Tell them, you can't buy any item,

because you don't know how to make sure they tell you a proper price and do not want to cheat on you.

And how exactly do you tell the majority of these people who do not speak English or any other language that tourists speak??

[oldsailor35]

In my country Thais would be paying about 5,000 baht to visit the zoo.

And how much would the locals be charged. After all animals do have to be fed, housed and vetted.

[dieseldave1951]

you have compleatly missed the point,just because you earn 10 times the amount a Thai earns dosen't make OK

its called rip off the farangs, its been going on for years and it should change

i have refused to go to waterfalls just because of this double pricingwell done to the tourists who did this

Hm, well

I earn 10 times the money a skilled Thai worker does. Cancelling double pricing could mean the Thais pay the same as foreigners, meaning a Thai family could never ever afford a visit to a National Park in their own country.

Maybe the reasons the Malays were that upset ist the fact, that their National Parks are freeof charge (visited one on Penang, just registration, so they can go after you in the case you got lst, but no pay booth at all)

[oldsailor35]

Oh my, the pot is calling the kettle black I see. For those whom don't know there are a double pricing system alive and well in Langkawi. At attractions like the Geo park and Under water world foreigners pay double that of the Malay citizens.

Is that privately owned or by the Malaysian government

[oldsailor35]

Australia has dual pricing, residents of beach side suburbs get a parking sticker for free local parking at the beach. Tourists and visitors from other areas have to pay to come to the beach. In a way it makes sense as the ratepayers carry the cost of the mess that visitors make. It is the basis of the user pays system. I can understand why Thailand charges a different price for visitors.

But you do not realise , the parking fee does not go into the pocket of the collector. Throughout Thailand cash collections invariably get shared around. Recently i played an immigration officer a game of pool for a beer. I won so he pulled an enormous roll of 1000 bht notes out of his pocked, he was struggling to get his hands around. This really made me wonder, do they get paid so highly ?

[oldsailor35]

Of course, when ASEAN becomes a reality with free cross border travel each country will require that citizens of other ASEAN nations pay ten times the Thai national admission price? I think not.

But what you are seeing PETER is a lot different to Weeds, Rocks Plastic bags and Bottles. Usually something with a real history, carefully cherished and looked after.

[HaleySabai]

In my country Thais would be paying about 5,000 baht to visit the zoo.

...and it would cost them 50,000+ to get there......aahhh

[oldsailor35]

Australia has dual pricing, residents of beach side suburbs get a parking sticker for free local parking at the beach. Tourists and visitors from other areas have to pay to come to the beach. In a way it makes sense as the ratepayers carry the cost of the mess that visitors make. It is the basis of the user pays system. I can understand why Thailand charges a different price for visitors.

???

you really want to compare this with thailand?

In Australia everybody who not lives there will pay the same, but not foreigners pay 10 times more.

So you understand why Thailand charge 10 times more? Yes I also!

Because they think they can do it, because they are not educated to understand this is rasism and discrimitation.

And because the workers in the parks can make extra money, because no control who paid what.

Everybody who pays the prices in the parks suport a crime, discimination!

It s the same you are a shopping clothes who are produced with child work or you eat products, produced with slavery.

Yes i want to compare it to Australia to show that this type of policy is not just isolated to Thailand.

No it is not about racism. It is about taxpayers and ratepayer not having to support the costs of visitors. Visitors should pay more than locals; whether 10x is the appropriate amount or not is open for debate.

In a free market, people should be able to charge what the market can stand. With the proviso that price gouging in the times of economic turmoil is not acceptable.

It is pointed out that it is only the local rate payers who get this discount, If someone comes from interstate, they have to pay. So how can this be racism

[oldsailor35]

Living on Koh Samui, i have been to Khao Sok national park several times and to date have not had to pay anything. It is a beautiful well kept very large park.

[fasteddie]

I don't pay, never have never will, don't even bother going now after sitting outside waiting for friends to come back a couple of times.

[oldsailor35]

This post certainly ranks right up there with my most favorite posts...the Malays are not intimidated by Thai corruption...and rightfully refused to be ripped off...if we could only get all tourists to balk at Thai parks insulting fees for foreigners...maybe...just maybe it would dawn on the Thais to correct this gross disparity...

Or...they could just start arresting tourists not willing to pay the higher fees and claim lese majesty or an article 44 infraction...place them in a Thai concentration camp...confiscate their belongs...and require their relatives to pay their fines before they can leave the country...seriously...is this where we are headed with this dictatorship?

Yes and Re ajustment for all !

[thailanddogerator]

I never paid there, it's so easy to avoid the scam when you have your own private boat...

[SantiSuk]

it is funny, since malaysia have also dual pricing,

Except Malaysia parks and attractions work very fairly around a residents card.. White, pink yellow or brown skinned people are defined as living there (discount) or international tourist (no discount).

To me this system seems pretty fair.

Aiming for treatment on a par with Thais for those who reside in Thailand seems to be the most we should aim at or could expect. However much you rail at dual pricing it is quite common around the world. The type of visa/extension most of us have does not give an auto right to stay here longer than 90 days so presumably it would have to be proof of tax registration (anyone residing here longer than 180 days) to signal qualification for equal treatment with locals.

Laughable that citizens coming from a nation that operates dual pricing should complain, but perhaps the level of multiplier is their real beef ... and ours!

[Phuketboy]

about time someone stood up to this double pricing bullshit. Do you want tourism or not?

[MichelBangkok]

Australia has dual pricing, residents of beach side suburbs get a parking sticker for free local parking at the beach. Tourists and visitors from other areas have to pay to come to the beach. In a way it makes sense as the ratepayers carry the cost of the mess that visitors make. It is the basis of the user pays system. I can understand why Thailand charges a different price for visitors.

Sorry MarkEewan it is not just visitors paying 10 times the thai price, it is everyone with an alien look, be it a permanent resident, a tourist or else. I live here for more than 25 years, pay all due taxes, speak fluently (read as well) the language and I am still forced to pay the exorbitant difference. No, I am not a visitor, my family and my life is here.

Since the government is doing this in Parks, everbody else try to do the same malpractice, eg.: restaurants with menus in English at an inflated price and menus in thai at a lower one, taxis, museums, etc...

So far our only recourses are (1) continue to make noise about it, and (2) walk away and not pay the outrageous difference.

[MichelBangkok]

Read the extract rom below and weep....they will only get the Tour Companies to hide the cost of admission by adding it to their Tour price,which they then pay the park,no cash changing hands by the Tourists at the National parks etc!

Panapol said he did not want to get tough with tourists so he would hold a meeting with tourist boast and tourist company operators to discuss how to collect the entry fee from their clients.

As the saying goes.....There's more than one way to skin a ...Farang!!! TIT.

Absolutely !

That is the main reason why at the entrance of National Parks the prices are in thai numerals for the locals ( ๐ ๑ ๒ ๓ ๔ ๕ ๖ ๗ ๘ ๙ ) and in the hindu-arabic numerals ( 0 1 2 3... ) for the "alien" price.

They know quite well that they are doing something wrong and it is their way of trying to hide it, thinking that the foreigners will not see the price gap, or at least that we will not know by how much: yes 10 times more on average between the thai price and the alien one.

[MAJIC]

The Malaysians have the right idea,if everyone stopped paying double +++ entry fee then this would soon stop! let's try it and see!

The one with money in pocket,makes the rules!

[Farang99]

Good for them.

We should all do more of this when these attractions insist on the outrageous double pricing policy.

It's not double pricing - it is 10 times.

[nidieunimaitre]

Australia has dual pricing, residents of beach side suburbs get a parking sticker for free local parking at the beach. Tourists and visitors from other areas have to pay to come to the beach. In a way it makes sense as the ratepayers carry the cost of the mess that visitors make. It is the basis of the user pays system. I can understand why Thailand charges a different price for visitors.

???

you really want to compare this with thailand?

In Australia everybody who not lives there will pay the same, but not foreigners pay 10 times more.

So you understand why Thailand charge 10 times more? Yes I also!

Because they think they can do it, because they are not educated to understand this is rasism and discrimitation.

And because the workers in the parks can make extra money, because no control who paid what.

Everybody who pays the prices in the parks suport a crime, discimination!

It s the same you are a shopping clothes who are produced with child work or you eat products, produced with slavery.

Yes i want to compare it to Australia to show that this type of policy is not just isolated to Thailand.

No it is not about racism. It is about taxpayers and ratepayer not having to support the costs of visitors. Visitors should pay more than locals; whether 10x is the appropriate amount or not is open for debate.

In a free market, people should be able to charge what the market can stand. With the proviso that price gouging in the times of economic turmoil is not acceptable.

The point is it's not a free market. The prices are fixed. Residential parking stickers is not comparable to thailand's exploitative system.

Hallelujah!

Praise the lord.

There is 1 more TV poster that understands the concept of "The Free Market".

Again, to all others my sincere apologies for boring you with macro economics.

[cookee68]

Good because they are just being racists to every one who is not Thai. they say its because foreigners earn more, some do and some dont, and a foreigners out goings are 20 times more as well

[Doc46]

It is Always the peoples fault,,No one Forces you to pay ,,It is your Choice,If No one pays the High price and just say thank you and go it will soon stop,I always find out The Thai price and the Tourist price ,,If not same No thank you and go.

[chrisrazz]

50 Malays go home and tell all their friends, who tell other friends and so on = reputation damage x10 to the power of ?

[duckmandon]

I was in Malaysia last week & they charge foreigners more than locals as well. Must be an asian thing to do as they see us as easy targets. Doesn't happen in western countries that I have been to.

[gk10002000]

I make probably 100 times what the average Thai worker that I encounter at a restaurant, resort, hotel, etc. I don't mind paying a higher fee as a tourist. Heck, even here in the USA many states charge more to out of state residents than to in-state residents for state parks, beaches etc. Now 10x the local price might be a bit too much and will discourage and possibly more importantly get many tourists angry and by word of mouth the place will lose tourist dollars.

[Insideman]

When I first came to Thailand, I too a little offended by the dual-pricing scheme. After spending some more time here though, I have come to realize that a lot of that feeling is simply because I grew up in western society, where this sort of dual pricing would be considered discriminatory for the most part. However, even after taking that into consideration, there are numerous forms of price discrimination against foreigners in the EU (where I have lived most of my life). One major example are ski resorts in the Alps for example. These are very expensive for foreigners, but locals often get discounts, either directly at the ski resort or through some other means, by buying a heavily discounted season pass for example, for which you have to be local.

I think the major difference is that Europeans are more delicate when dealing with price discrimination, it is not as "in your face" as here in Thailand where it is very obvious that you are constantly paying a premium.

In Thailand I believe there are two main types of price discrimination. The first one is a form of subsidy as we see with these national parks. Locals pay less then is needed to maintain the park, whilst foreigners pay more, effectively subsidizing the experience for locals.

The second is pure profit maximization. We see this in restaurants for example, where locals pay less and foreigners pay more. The restaurants are not taking a loss on the local prices, but instead are charging everybody what they think they are willing to pay.

This is rational behaviour from an economic stand point, but requires economic power in order to be achieved. I believe the power here is achieved by a sort of "restaurant cartel" where everybody silently agrees to not give foreigners local prices. This is what I believe upsets most people that have a problem with dual pricing.

Personally this doesn't really bother me anymore. From my somewhat limited experience I've also noticed that Thais will give me local prices once they become familiar with me and it is mainly only touristy areas that have true, permanent farang taxes. This also makes sense since they are serving primarily foreigners and the Thais in those areas are usually just working there.

[Veritas48]

Hm, well

I earn 10 times the money a skilled Thai worker does. Cancelling double pricing could mean the Thais pay the same as foreigners, meaning a Thai family could never ever afford a visit to a National Park in their own country.

Maybe the reasons the Malays were that upset ist the fact, that their National Parks are freeof charge (visited one on Penang, just registration, so they can go after you in the case you got lst, but no pay booth at all)

What moronic logic is this?How would anyone know how much a person earns?What about multi-millionaire Thais who pay B20.

It is about ripping foreigners off...nothing more ,nothing less.Please get real.

[Srikcir]

"so he would hold a meeting with tourist boast and tourist company operators to discuss how to collect the entry fee from their clients."

So the solution is to conspire with the boat and tourist company operators to maybe hide the additional Bt180 overcharge for the park? And more amazing is that this "discussion" is made public as if the issue is only one of face and not blatant discrimination.

[taninthai]

I have actually sent an email to TAT with links to many forums and tripadvisor,Facebook pages etc where this is being discussed,I suggest others do the same ,moaning on a forum about will not change anything?

[shirtless]

Thais need to realize and accept that westerners despise this practice , they also need to understand social media and how detrimental it is to Thai Tourism.

[Stargeezr]

I don't mind paying 2 or 3 times the local price, but paying 10 times or more is

not nice at all. Do not forget that the people who work in these places, are not getting that much in

pay either. The cost of these places are not that much to keep up, but I am only a Farang

who knows , Not Much.