Thai Hypocrisy At It's Best

[Central Scrutinizer]

RM

 

I disagree, the "Local" refers to Locals of Paris, nothing to do with Thailand two tier system

 

 

 

 

This happens in the states as well. Residents (tax payers) get in to a local attraction for free or reduced rate, as they have paid the taxes to support the local attraction, care for the attraction, pay employees needed, etc. Tourists are charged to use the attraction (parks, zoos, caves, historical sites, lakes, etc.) as they are not taxpayers who live locally who have supported the attraction through their tax dollars and they want to have use of the attraction as well. All of which (taxes and tourist dollars) go to keep the attraction in good shape for use by all and for the resident tax payers locally in the future. I see no real problem with this myself.

 

Here in Thailand I show my driver's license and usually will get the Thai price (usually, not always).

 

The Central Scrutinizer

[Flashermac]

Several decades ago I worked on a book on the Temple of the Emerald Buddha for the Royal Charities with a well known academic, the King's first cousin. When I went to the temple accompanied by the prince, I had no problems. If I went by myself, not even showing my Thai government ID card got me in without trouble. The guards at the gate insisted I pay the tourist price. ("You Farang, you pay.") I quit going by myself, because I got tired of being treated like shite by the guards. Thailand is not always the land of the smiles.

 

Leftist Dr. Giles Ungpakorn also once stomped away from the temple in fury after he and his family were stopped for the tourist price, even though he is a Thai a citizen and and showed his civil service ID. Problem is his mother was English and he looks a bit Farang. He wrote a letter to the Bangkok Post complaining about his treatment.   

[buffalo_bill]

What sort of crap in this ? There is no dual pricing at the Eiffel Tour . You may buy tickets as well by internet or vending machines , how does a machine find out if you are a local . Apart from that , our wonderful EU commission would immediately run a crusade against these practices . Discrimination fraud and murder .

[kamui]

What sort of crap in this ? There is no dual pricing at the Eiffel Tour . You may buy tickets as well by internet or vending machines , how does a machine find out if you are a local . Apart from that , our wonderful EU commission would immediately run a crusade against these practices . Discrimination fraud and murder .

 

Bubi is correct: http://ticket.toureiffel.fr/

 

I just read the BKK article. They ask the theoretical question about dual pricing at the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty.

 

http://www.bangkokpo...ice-of-goodwill

[chelseafan]

I might be a bit thicker than usual today, been a hectic week but here is how I read it.

 

'I would hate to be charged more than a (Paris) resident if I visited the Eiffel Tower.’ Should the local (Thailand) two-tier pricing scheme be stopped?

 

95.6% say yes, the local Thailand double pricing should be stopped.

 

No news here, old story really, sure we all thought that way from the first time we came across it.

 

The article does try to make some weak excuses for why some of it happens, temples, Buddhism, heritage and such but overall I got the impression it was just another expression of dissatisfaction at double pricing, and rightly so of course.

 

Yes thats how I am reading it. Thais dont believe in the double-pricing but it seems that they know it happens but as usual do nothing about it..

[Redbaron]

There is a quote in the full article, where a Thai says, "I would hate to be charged more than a local if I visited the EIffel Tower." The poll title isn't well worded though,

[gobbledonk]

Very common in China, but it didnt bother me - might be different if I lived there, but for a two-week holiday I didn't particularly care. If I see a common thread in these, er, threads its this : 'I have lived here for years, I pay taxes and I spend my money in your country, yet you continue to single me out each and every time I am faced with a Thai in a uniform'.

 

Would I put up with that if I moved to New Zealand ? No way.

Would I put up with it if I moved to the UK ? Probably not.

Would I put up with it if I moved to Russia or Israel ? Damned right I would, and I wouldn't expect anything resembling a smile.

 

For some reason, we expect traditional Thai hospitality to extend to the kind of human being (!) who will work for peanuts if it means they get to wear a uniform and enforce their will on others. People with, possibly, 10 years of basic education and no experience of anything beyond Thailand's borders. When I ask myself what the Russian equivalent of such a person would be, the image of a guard in a Gulag springs into my head. From 2014, I will have to grin and bear it - hypocrisy or no hypocrisy - or move to another country.

[radioman]

Our sense of fair play and equal treatment guides us in much of these matters about dual pricing and I hear many on here, who I agree with, complain how it's not a good thing. I've never heard a comment here though about the reverse being the case.

 

As an example I know that many hotels charge higher prices for Thais than for foreigners. In Pattaya particularly this is not uncommon at some of the Thai run places, it doesn't seem to extend to the internationally managed places.

 

A year or two back my wife wanted to take the kids for a few days to a place we used several times but when inquiring over the phone soon learned that whilst the advertised room rate was 3200 baht per night that was for non Thai guests, Thai guests could book the same room for only 4500 baht.

 

Thais don't generally complain about double pricing because they are used to being treated similarly themselves.

 

As to the comments in the BP article I think most are from foreigners not Thais.

[Mekong]

There is a quote in the full article, where a Thai says, "I would hate to be charged more than a local if I visited the EIffel Tower." The poll title isn't well worded though,

 

Rather ambiguous to say the least

[radioman]

I agree it does read rather ambiguously, typical Post fare.

 

The article was written by a Thai woman and questions the Thai double pricing for foreigners as a problem that should be resolved to improve Thai tourism goodwill.

 

I have no issue with that and it would be good to see it fixed.

 

Her point seems to be, "Thais do not get charged more when visiting attractions in other countries so why do Thais charge visitors more in Thailand".

 

If there is any surprise or misunderstanding in stating any of this I'm going to suggest that this would be more the average working Thai being surprised at not having double pricing in other countries and accepting that since it is done here it is a global norm. Most don't know what happens anywhere outside of there own very small bubble. So was the article trying to raise awareness of this sharp practice here? Maybe, but it seems the wrong forum to be doing so. The Post is not, I think, widely read by the majority and it would be better to drive this in the Thai language press. I suspect the responses might be very different.