Dual pricing to end? I'll believe it when it happens

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Gaybutton
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Dual pricing to end? I'll believe it when it happens

Post by Gaybutton »

Anyone holding your breath for dual pricing to actually end?

Hey - Do you think we can all get a refund for places we've visited in the past and had to pay the farang price?
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Thai Tourism minister addresses dual pricing for foreigners, says it should be the same as Thai pricing

By Adam Judd

August 6, 2019

Thailand may be seeing the beginning of the end to a subject that angers many visitors and residents in the kingdom, dual pricing for foreigners and tourists.

Thailand’s new Minister for Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakarn was speaking to Thai reporters this morning, August 6th, 2019, about what needs to be done to stimulate the tourism sector specifically.

He said that prices for Thais and tourists at historical and heritage sites like the ruins of Sukhothai and Ayuthaya ought to be the same. However, it was unclear if he would actually institute a plan to address this or take any action or if he was expressing a personal opinion regarding the pricing.

He also addressed multiple items that were important to him which include:

– International sporting events like the Moto GP motorcycle race in Buriram. He said that hosting international sporting events not only brings in visitors but introduces the country to the competitors and their teams. Pattaya specifically is working on becoming a Sports City. He said that those who come with the athletes such as family, friends, coaches, etc. also spend quite a bit at tourist attractions, hotels, restaurants and bars. Hosting E-Sports could also be a good idea, he said, as Thailand has become a centerpiece for E-Sports in the last few years.

-The same could also be true of medical tourism as it was not just the sick who would be coming to Thailand but their families and friends who would stay in hotels, go to restaurants and visit tourist attractions Pipat stated.

-Looking after the welfare of tourists was his number one priority, he said, with the safety of visitors top of his list. He intends to work closely with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Tourist Police Bureau in the training of volunteers to ensure this.

-Environmental issues are also important with the need to preserve Thailand’s natural beauty and limit plastic use. He set a target of 50% reduction in plastics.

-Online applications also need to be updated, improved and readied for use as a matter of priority to ensure that Thailand keeps up with modern technology related to tourism.

https://thepattayanews.com/2019/08/06/t ... i-pricing/
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Undaunted
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Re: Dual pricing to end? I'll believe it when it happens

Post by Undaunted »

All very laughable......I guess some Indians and Chinese have complained!
"In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king"
fountainhall

Re: Dual pricing to end? I'll believe it when it happens

Post by fountainhall »

I have never understood why tourists and non-nationals constantly seem to complain about dual pricing! It occurs in lots of countries and is far from unique to Thailand. In Jordan tourists pay vastly more than Jordanians to visit Petra. Do the tourists complain? Not that I have heard. When I was recently in Iran, there was dual pricing for almost everything. Visiting the Taj Mahal is much more expensive for tourists, as is a trip to China's Great Wall. The Buddha's Tooth Temple in Sri Lanka is free for locals; not for tourists. Tourists pay one twentieth of the price compared to Egyptians to visit the Pyramids.

Even in Rome, EU citizens under a certain age pay less than non-EU citizens to visit the Colisseum. Tourists pay five times the local rate for Brazilians to get up to the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.

In Venice a few years ago, a tourist paid €7 for a vaporetto when a local gets the same ride for €1.30. Tourists pay €18 to get into the Doge's Palace. Locals have free entrance.

In Thailand the average wage is a fraction of the average wage of the vast majority of tourists. I fail to understand why entrance to national monuments and other facilities should not reflect that difference.
belg0001

Re: Dual pricing to end? I'll believe it when it happens

Post by belg0001 »

I agree with fountainhall. In my city (Antwerp, Belgium) residents don't pay entrance for the museum's , all others do . Logic : we already pay taxes , which are used to maintain the museums.
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Re: Dual pricing to end? I'll believe it when it happens

Post by Trongpai »

Yes, but as a long time full time resident (of sorts) here I pay a lot of Thai taxes.

National Parks used to give farangs the Thai entry price if you had a Thai drivers license but now days it's hit or miss. Some are priced at 40B Thai vs. 400B farang. Koh Samet, a National Park for some reason, is 400B but they have always given me the Thai entry price of 40 upon presentation of a DL.
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Re: Dual pricing to end? I'll believe it when it happens

Post by Gaybutton »

fountainhall wrote: Fri Aug 09, 2019 7:58 pm Tourists pay one twentieth of the price compared to Egyptians to visit the Pyramids.
Egyptians have to pay more than foreign tourists?

The only time I was ever in Egypt was in 1987. I remember paying for the tour bus and tipping the tour guide, but I don't remember paying an additional fee once we arrived. Of course if you wanted to ride a camel, that was an additional fee. I passed on that.
Jun

Re: Dual pricing to end? I'll believe it when it happens

Post by Jun »

Gaybutton wrote: Fri Aug 09, 2019 10:05 pm Of course if you wanted to ride a camel, that was an additional fee. I passed on that
Did the camel have a jockey, or were tourists required to do that?
fountainhall

Re: Dual pricing to end? I'll believe it when it happens

Post by fountainhall »

Trongpai wrote: Fri Aug 09, 2019 9:51 pm Yes, but as a long time full time resident (of sorts) here I pay a lot of Thai taxes.
If someone lives and works here and pays taxes on earnings, then I think it is fair that they get the Thai entry price. If someone is just retired and pays zero income tax, I do not think whatever other taxes we pay - VAT on items we buy etc. - we should be entitled to a lower price. I realise there are lots of arguments on this issue, one being that a lot of Thais don't pay any taxes. But I still believe there is no reason for non-Thais not to pay more.
Gaybutton wrote: Fri Aug 09, 2019 10:05 pm
fountainhall wrote: Fri Aug 09, 2019 7:58 pm Tourists pay one twentieth of the price compared to Egyptians to visit the Pyramids.
Egyptians have to pay more than foreign tourists?
Oops! The other way around. There is a variety of different types of ticket but basically Egyptians pay vastly less than non-Egyptians.
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Re: Dual pricing to end? I'll believe it when it happens

Post by Gaybutton »

Jun wrote: Sat Aug 10, 2019 4:37 am Did the camel have a jockey, or were tourists required to do that?
Actually, the tourist rode the camel while the jockey walked, leading the camel.

Ok, enough of that. Let's get back to the topic - dual pricing.
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Re: Dual pricing to end? I'll believe it when it happens

Post by Dodger »

Undaunted wrote: Fri Aug 09, 2019 4:21 pm All very laughable......I guess some Indians and Chinese have complained!
You hit the nail right on the head.

TAT will do anything to appease the Chinese just to keep the numbers up. Maybe the gogo bars should started offering group discounts with lower off fee's and free dried noodle appetizers to lure a few Chinese tour buses their way.
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