Dual Pricing in South East Asia, your thoughts?

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  Eeples on 22/02/2017 - 15:03

  I remember paying an Egyptian pound for catching the ferry in Luxor. Fairly sure the locals paid 1/4. No big deal.

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  porkupine888 on 22/02/2017 - 16:31

  Racial discrimation has always been present in society, depending on business ethics and values. Most business provide prefential treatment to locals / of same race/country to make them 'feel' special/more welcome/@home, whilst others, do it just as part of a 'standard' culture.

  separate pricing has been around for decades, just not so 'obvious' to the customers unless they dissect their bills down or analyze it carefully.

  especially prominent in south east asia it's a concept that's sneaky, yet strangely, no different to the supposed 14-21% tips you provide when visiting USA - yet no one complains because supposedly those go to the staff (yet to be determined properly)

  locals SHOULD have cheaper pricing to make it lucrative and affordable, esp in SEA and 3rd world countries as their currency is way smaller, and if you were to take 1000 AUD to travel WITHIN australia, you wouldn't be able to stay a month like a king like the way you would in SEA. so don't complain no matter what (IMHO) as they need to make a living. WHETHER that particular business is worthy of your patronage, obviously is up to personal decision, but if you do decide to make / take a holiday to SEA, you have to be prepared to pay that different pricing which in reality in AUD doesn't make much a difference.

  e.g. if you were to convert AUD to book a room locally in SEA, it would about 90% of the time cost you less than $80AUD unless you are planning to stay in a fancy place, but here in AU, even a backpackers per night costs you about $30 easily which would get you a decent crib (not shared) in SEA.

  obviously some people still think that SEA people earning $300 aud a month is a great deal of money when they travel because they aren't wealthy. but if you work it out how can you survive on 300 aud a month in au (including rent bills n food etc)

  if you were to ever compare dollar to dollar , don't go anywhere just dig a goddamn hole and stay there and you will grow rich… oh wait you need to work or make your money work for you for that to happen…

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  infinite on 22/02/2017 - 17:13

  First rule of SEA is "Haggle, haggle, haggle". No first price advertised or your told about is ever the actual price. Paying full price is tantamount to insulting locals. Just work out the conversion rate, what you think the price should really be and haggle for a bit lower. If they don't like it, walk 5 meters to the next shop that sells all the same counterfeit crap & buy it from them for a better price instead.

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    jackspratt on 22/02/2017 - 17:54

    -2

    A couple of other rules in SEA are:

    • try to avoid making sweeping statements that have no basis

    • try to avoid making illogical statements.

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    jovialjosie2002 on 22/02/2017 - 21:24

    +1

    Hi infinite,
    I lived in Thailand for 2 years, what you just wrote is spot on. Excellent advice for newbies. Thailand is a wonderful place to visit once you know what you are doing. Once you can speak and read Thai, it's wonderful. However, I saw sooooo many farlang ripped off in Thailand. Thais just think we are all super rich. That's why they do it.
    The sort of Thais selling stuff to farlang are just like used car salesman or realestate agents here. I am not saying all are bad, however, the type of people attracted to the job are not nice. I have met nice real estate agents and used car salesman in oz, just like nice people catering to farlang in Thailand, but they are not that common.

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      jackspratt on 22/02/2017 - 23:13

      Hi josie

      I have lived in Thailand for 10 years, and based on my experience here (not all SEA), what infinite is saying - and backed up by you - is (to generalise, as you and he have done) nonsense.

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        infinite on 23/02/2017 - 03:00

        Your digging yourself deeper and deeper in that hole, mate. Clearly you have never been through SEA if you think what we are telling you is rubbish. After finishing up in the US, I worked in SIN for a number of years before coming back to Oz & traveled the whole region regularly. I still do Malaysia & Thailand for a few weeks at least once a year for MuayThai training. What Jovia & I have said is straight-up the truth. Following your advice = becoming a walking ATM. Don't be a stooge like that, it's how you become a mark for people looking to rip you off. Walk into any shop or makan stall & take our advice. It's simply a fact of life there.

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        jackspratt on 23/02/2017 - 12:33

        -1

        @infinite:

        Clearly you have never been through SEA ………

        But wait…….

        (jackspratt) I have lived in Thailand for 10 years, and based on my experience here………

        I refer you back to my earlier comment:

        • try to avoid making sweeping statements that have no basis

        • try to avoid making illogical statements.

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      Peck on 23/02/2017 - 13:48

      Generally nice people, but you will see the worst of Thais in Phuket, partly due to the taxi mafia.

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  silentbutdeadly on 22/02/2017 - 19:23

  I feel like a lot of people are mistaking this as as institutionalised racism.

  You could very well be a white Thai citizen, and you would be paying local prices.

  This isn't to do with race, it's to do with whether you're a citizen of the country and whether you're paying taxes there.

  Personally, as a tourist, I have no problems with paying the tourist price.

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  JohnHowardsEyebrows on 22/02/2017 - 19:54

  In the case of the Indonesian temples, the entry price is too steep, given that they're charging what you'd expect to pay in a western country. I don't begrudge the locals paying $2 to get in though, given how many of them get paid $2 a day, and that even their middle class (white collar professionals) only get something like $500 a month.

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  [Deactivated] on 22/02/2017 - 20:22

  do you complain if QLD'ers can access dreamworld cheaper?

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    jovialjosie2002 on 22/02/2017 - 21:38

    +5

    I am from Brisbane, I don't get 90% off entry price to any theme parks.
    Since I learned to read Thai, I was totally shocked at the scale of blatant theivery that occurs in Thailand. They also get really irrate when you show them that you can read Thai and that you know the price is 1000% more for farlang.
    My Thai wife told them that they were criminals and they just replied back…
    "You are making money out of him….Why can't we"
    I then told them that she was an accountant not a prostitute…..

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      El Cap on 23/02/2017 - 14:23

      -1

      "1000% more"
      Really? I guess if they charge you a cent for something that is free for a local, you have been charged infinite times more.

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  megabytez on 23/02/2017 - 14:00

  As a Thai, I've been told the reason for this dual pricing for entry to tourist attractions is due to the fact that the taxes we pay contribute to the upkeep of these attractions.

  Note that some attractions in Paris (such as Musee du Louvre or Château de Versailles) are free for EU residents and not for others. When I was a student in the UK, I was able to gain free entry to those attractions in Paris by simply flashing my UK student visa.

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  ripesashimi on 23/02/2017 - 19:30

  Why do you single out South East Asia? This happens all over the world including Australia. I am from South East Asia and find this borderline racist. It's like it's ok for other countries to do this but when we do business this way, despite the goal of every business is to maximize profit, you paint us with a different colour.

  Where I come from, Vietnam specifically, many services are exclusively free to foreigners since businesses want them to come back every year.

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  jkc2289 on 23/02/2017 - 19:54

  This is super common in S.E.A

  Nepal - going to temples, himalayas trekking etc - had to pay a tourist fee for almost everything (locals free or some donation)

  Cambodia - Foreigners arent allowed to hire motorbikes and drive themselves - have to get a tuk tuk driver or be on a tour bus (and this didnt include entrance fees, etc)

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    Marcsie on 24/02/2017 - 14:15

    Do you really want to drive a motorbike in a country like Cambodia ?

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  zolinger on 23/02/2017 - 20:00

  Can you provide a picture please?

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  grimwagon on 23/02/2017 - 20:21

  Same in Australian with the healthcare card and pensioner (only local pensioner) discounts on attractions. Museums free, zoos discounted etc etc. Just a way of providing access to these cultural activities to locals who are/may be disadvantaged and may not be able to afford it.

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  Herbse on 24/02/2017 - 00:20

  Bloody foreigners. Love it or leave it mate!

  Or does that only apply to Australia..?

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  DarwinBoy on 24/02/2017 - 11:53

  You come up here to Darwin and you will have to pay to visits Kakadu. Free for me and other NT residents.

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