The argument against dual pricing in Thailand

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The argument against dual pricing in Thailand
CHRIS WOTTON


Featured image is by Wachira tasee and used under a Creative Commons licence

BANGKOK: -- If there’s one thing in Thailand that regularly has expats up in arms, it’s dual pricing.

This practice – where locals are charged one rate for a product or service, and tourists and often expats are charged another higher price – is not limited to Thailand, but it’s particularly prevalent here.

Of course, just as with other such controversial topics, there are just about as many who defend the practice as those who oppose it.

Here’s why I disagree with the practice as it stands.

The confusing situation at national parks

Dual pricing is widespread in Thailand, perhaps most noticeably at state-run national parks.

Popular parks such as Kanchanaburi’s Erawan, famous for its seven-tier waterfalls, charge foreign tourists as much as ฿500 in admission, while Thais get in for ฿100.

In the past, many expats (me included) reported being able to obtain the lower local rate on production of any number of documents from a confusing, inconsistent and continually changing showreel; everything from work permits to driving licences, taxpayer identification cards to bank cards.

More bizarre examples included an impromptu demonstration of the ability to speak Thai (because of course that’s definitive proof that you contribute to the tax system in the way Thais are deemed to, even though the vast majority don’t), to showing off Thai family members to gate staff.

(On the flip side, there are isolated examples of park officials apparently suggesting that Thais travelling with their foreign partners should also pay the tourist rate, precisely because they’re in a relationship with a foreigner.)

In any case, that practice of discretion at national park gates seems to be coming to an end.

Staff at numerous national parks – most notably Khao Yai, but apparently also Erawan – have been instructed that all non-Thais must pay the tourist rate, regardless of residential or taxpayer status. And, at the end of 2014, The Phuket News quoted the head of the Department of National Parks’ Tourism Promotion Office as confirming that foreigners “aren’t entitled to the same privileges as Thais”, no matter how long they have been living here.

But she added that “if you are lucky, you might benefit from the flexibility [exercised by some park officers].”

That just about sums up the clarity of the situation that expats continue to face when it comes to dual pricing at national parks.

Yet, while still believed by many to be illegal on the basis of anti-discrimination laws, dual pricing at taxpayer-funded attractions is quite different – at least if you ask me – to the same thing happening at privately run attractions which have no link to the tax system, and therefore no business deciding how much to charge me on the basis of whether or not I live and/or pay taxes here.

The ferris wheel that claimed it was only offering a ‘discount’ to Thais

Memorable examples of dual pricing at private attractions include the ferris wheel at Bangkok outdoor shopping mall Asiatique the Riverfront, which quietly charged foreigners ฿250 and Thais ฿200 – and proceeded to ignite a social media fireball by blocking users, like popular travel blogger Richard Barrow, who questioned the policy on its Facebook page.

The European operator later caved – claiming rather disingenuously that the intention was to offer a discount to Thais for allowing the company to run the attraction in Thailand, rather than to overcharge foreigners.

Yet unconfirmed reports later suggested the wheel had reverted to its old dual pricing ways.

Full story: http://whatsonsukhumvit.com/the-argument-against-dual-pricing-in-thailand/


-- (c) What's on Sukhumvit 2016-04-22

[Thian]

The wheel has had double prices all the time. But it's a small wheel and i don't trust thai engineers so i have no plan to go in it.

I hope we do the same to Thai soon, 5 times the entrancefee when they visit the Eiffel Tower, only for SE-Asians.

[ukrules]

I've never paid an entrance fee to anywhere in Thailand and I'm pretty sure I never will.

Having to pay to see this crap is an insult.

[streetsweeper]

I asked my Canadian friend if the Canadian government parks and private ventures practiced dual pricing against non-Canadians.

He looked at me dumbfounded and as if I'd just landed from outer space!

"No" he said. "We take pride in our country and ourselves" "We work to welcome people not offend them."

When I visited Doi Inthanon this season and paid several hundred baht more than my Thai friend only to find rubbish littering the place, washrooms that reeked like horse stables this notion of "pride in one's country and pride in oneself" came to mind.

I really didn't feel "welcomed" nor "un-offended".

Sad isn't it?

[JeremyBowskill]

I asked my Canadian friend if the Canadian government parks and private ventures practiced dual pricing against non-Canadians.

He looked at me dumbfounded and as if I'd just landed from outer space!

"No" he said. "We take pride in our country and ourselves" "We work to welcome people not offend them."

When I visited Doi Inthanon this season and paid several hundred baht more than my Thai friend only to find rubbish littering the place, washrooms that reeked like horse stables this notion of "pride in one's country and pride in oneself" came to mind.

I really didn't feel "welcomed" nor "un-offended".

Sad isn't it?

Excellent point, well made. Unfortunately the standard answer is "If you don't like it, do home" from both Thais and wannabe's.

Edited April 21, 2016 by JeremyBowskill

[leeneeds]

As a tax payer it pisses me off,

paying extra to go to the zoo/ pool,

if i have to pay the extra then give me a tax credit

at the end of the year,

[colinneil]

Over pricing is everywhere in Thailand.

A few days ago i had a farang visit me.

It was very hot so the lady went to our village shop.

She bought ice, 3 small bottles of coke.

Price should have been 10 baht ice, 3x12 baht coke.

She was charged 60 baht. When she told me, i said thats wrong.

Next day my wife went to the same shop, bought same items 46 baht.

My wife asked why did you charge my farang friend 60 baht.

Answer was, she farang tourist she got big money.

Now we will go to the other village shop, he thought he was being smart but has lost a regular customer over his short sighted greed.

[Thian]

Over pricing is everywhere in Thailand.

A few days ago i had a farang visit me.

It was very hot so the lady went to our village shop.

She bought ice, 3 small bottles of coke.

Price should have been 10 baht ice, 3x12 baht coke.

She was charged 60 baht. When she told me, i said thats wrong.

Next day my wife went to the same shop, bought same items 46 baht.

My wife asked why did you charge my farang friend 60 baht.

Answer was, she farang tourist she got big money.

Now we will go to the other village shop, he thought he was being smart but has lost a regular customer over his short sighted greed.

The 711 doesn't do that, only those mum and pap stores do. So i boycot them..

[marko kok prong]

here in Philippines no dual pricing,also the places i have visited where clean,mostly garbage free with bins provided,and toilets clean and well serviced,also the attractions were better,apart from Erewan falls which was over run by Russians in speedo's when i visited,i have been too quite a few other nat parks in Thailand and have left underwhelmed to say the least.

[futsukayoi]

Might help if other countries would apply reciprocity. Visitors from Thailand or countries with the same practice should be charged higher rates, maybe several times as much for sightseeing spots and 50% more for restaurants and shops. Thais should not be allowed to buy land or set up owned businesses. In a legal dispute with a local the Thai is automatically in the wrong. etc This should only apply to countries with such racist discriminatory laws.

[SoiBiker]

We haven't done this one for at least a week.

All together now - "it's not the money. It's the PRINCIPLE!"

[selftaopath]

Might help if other countries would apply reciprocity. Visitors from Thailand or countries with the same practice should be charged higher rates, maybe several times as much for sightseeing spots and 50% more for restaurants and shops. Thais should not be allowed to buy land or set up owned businesses. In a legal dispute with a local the Thai is automatically in the wrong. etc This should only apply to countries with such racist discriminatory laws.

Maybe the process you describe... which I agree with.... ought to include looking at imports.

Seems like most things imported cost much more than they should. Granted there are shipping costs, but how does Walmart sell imported items cheaply?

[taichiplanet]

Don't like it, it is a bit of an insult but depends on how interested i am in seeing the place and how much extra they charge. i first try my Thai driver's licence or pink ID card and if they don't budge then usually i walk away. Mostly the Thai people i am with walk away too. No great lose to me and i don't get upset about it, i just spend my money elsewhere. It's probably no great lose to the place as well, as usually they can get hordes of Chinese on tour packages to pay over the odds.

The only case of dual pricing in Australia that i know of is at MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) in the stae of Tasmania; Tasmaniacs get in for free and everyone else pays.

Edited April 22, 2016 by taichiplanet

[garyk]

It get's old for sure. Not sure why I keep coming back... Hehehehe!

[SoiBiker]

Isn't this the same guy who wrote the "Farang is racist" piece not long ago? Is he just running through TV's greatest hits?

[LannaGuy]

The worst of it is when they write the 'Thai Price' in Thai to fool tourists but doing so is so 'Thai'

[Thailand]

We simply do not patronise places that dual charge, most of our guests will not either, we give them the choice and if they want to go we make arrangements for them, that is a very rare occurrence.

[SoiBiker]

Doesn't bother me at all. I can generally afford the higher price, and I understand the sound economic principle behind it.

Some farangs just relish an opportunity to play the victim.

[thai3]

The Dusit Zoo never used to dual price but now charges 100 baht for Thai and 150 for the aliens. I refused to pay it and just walked in anyway, as did the mrs. No way I would ever pay anything to go in one of the national parks, I have been in on free days and none that I have seen are worth the bother. There is no 'argument' against dual pricing, it's just plain wrong.

Edited April 22, 2016 by thai3

[Bluespunk]

Isn't this the same guy who wrote the "Farang is racist" piece not long ago? Is he just running through TV's greatest hits?

Oh dear, has the nasty man upset you by writing something critical about discrimination?

Edited April 22, 2016 by Bluespunk

[alant]

I used to feel this was possibly a justification for low wages along the " yes we pay you only 200 B per day but look you get in here for 20 B"

Now I think it is simply a mindset. I doubt that anyone has done a study on the financial benefit of a dual pricing system and without that data it is hard to say if it is a good policy or not.

As for public opinion, as if that mattered, if I cast my mind back to the days of being a tourist, it didn't really bother me then that I had to pay more than a Thai, everything here was so much cheaper than home anyway. Now I am an expat and I find I don't like the policy that much and I like even less having to justify it (which I don't) to visitors.

[SoiBiker]

I doubt that anyone has done a study on the financial benefit of a dual pricing system and without that data it is hard to say if it is a good policy or not.

Google 'differential pricing'.

[Langsuan Man]

I have a simple rule, if the establishment is in any way connected to the Thai Government I will pay the dual price

If it is a privately owned or operated tourist location (which I can't name due to TV name and same policy) I will not pay

For instance, in Pattaya the place where I can see fish swimming, or the place that is the recreation of Bangkok klong merchants, or a village designed to look like a European town center, or a place that has lots of flowers, trees, and bushes, or a place that has tiny cities, etc. all are on my no go list

[thai3]

You don't mind being screwed by the government but not by private places? weird!

[Time Traveller]

In defense of the Thais, the dual pricing is just a polite, and subtle way of saying the place is a dump. (And trust me most Thai national parks are). So farangs see this and should know not to go in. Those fools that do might as well get overcharged. For Thais who wouldn't normally go either the idea they are getting some discount or special price for being Thai encourages them to visit these sub standard places. Consequently the national parks are overrun with people cars noise and garbage. Even if they were free these places still wouldn't be worth it.

[manhood]

I do not mind to pay a fee to entrance to a National Park, if it is a little bit higher then for the locals (Thais) i also don't mind if there is not a double pricing for the same attraction: BUT i get more than angry about the maintaining of the National Parks, nothing is provided in english or any other language, the parks are badly maintained or rotten down short after openings (my experiance lately atSam Roy Yor NP)

I don't see where all the money goes!!!!!!!!!!

So the only solution is: stay away from all these places and don't bring family or friends!

[Micbozy]

I'm happy to pay entrance fees as long as the place is well maintained, but most of us contributes more tax then 90% of the locals here, we deserve some special privileges at least to be charge at the same rates as Thais.

[legend49]

Easy solution. If they want you to pay more or double the price just walk away. Blacklisting on a large scale will have some voices from these rip off merchants crying out for Government help.

[deecee10]

Over pricing is everywhere in Thailand.

A few days ago i had a farang visit me.

It was very hot so the lady went to our village shop.

She bought ice, 3 small bottles of coke.

Price should have been 10 baht ice, 3x12 baht coke.

She was charged 60 baht. When she told me, i said thats wrong.

Next day my wife went to the same shop, bought same items 46 baht.

My wife asked why did you charge my farang friend 60 baht.

Answer was, she farang tourist she got big money.

Now we will go to the other village shop, he thought he was being smart but has lost a regular customer over his short sighted greed.

What goes on at the other village shop?

[goonnerone]

Over pricing is everywhere in Thailand.

A few days ago i had a farang visit me.

It was very hot so the lady went to our village shop.

She bought ice, 3 small bottles of coke.

Price should have been 10 baht ice, 3x12 baht coke.

She was charged 60 baht. When she told me, i said thats wrong.

Next day my wife went to the same shop, bought same items 46 baht.

My wife asked why did you charge my farang friend 60 baht.

Answer was, she farang tourist she got big money.

Now we will go to the other village shop, he thought he was being smart but has lost a regular customer over his short sighted greed.

As the Thai so often like to say if you dont like it leave so we leave and go to another shop, sum num nar