National Park in Krabi refuses to stop fleecing tourists - authorities preparing for "double pricing" showdown today

[Fairynuff]

9 hours ago, jerojero said:

Great media attention for Thailand tourism. Thought by now the PM would have intervened!

And insisted that foreigners be charged 20x instead of 10x ?

[MartinL]

6 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

Of course there should be differential pricing so that Thais with lower  incomes can access facilities. Tourists should pay more and let's face it, the amounts hardly break the bank. Try a tourist attraction in the UK, where you pay hideous amounts of money the third rate attractions, and have anybof you gone to rip off  attractions in the US lately . 

 

The UK equivalent of Thai NPs, which is largely what is being discussed here, is National Parks UK and the National Trust, the former for natural attractions and the latter largely for historic man-made attractions.

 

UK NPs are free to enter for all, wherever they're from - they don't even have entry gates. National Trust properties charge for entry and that fee contributes towards (but doesn't totally cover) the upkeep of properties that are often extremely expensive to maintain since they're very old and the specialist knowledge needed to adequately take care of them is also expensive.

 

Hideous amounts of money for entry maybe - same for all, concessions for students, the old etc. apply whether British or foreign, which isn't usually the case in Thailand - but the places are invariably impeccably maintained, hot on information, clean and with staff far friendlier than those at Thai NPs - all those are things my wife has said about UK attractions when she's been there, not just my opinion. 

 

If UK attractions - and we're not talking about the likes of Alton Towers(??) or amusement parks - are third-rate, what the hell rating are the vast majority of Thai attractions?

[gdgbb]

6 hours ago, chrissables said:

The other problem which has come to light is that the fee's disappear! Pii Pii Island being a good example.

 

I arrived at Khao Yai, Korat on a motorbike, with my ex, a Filipino lady, they demanded 800 + the bike fee. There was no way they knew she was not a Thai lady. I am sure there are two books of tickets, the reported and accounted for tickets and "black" income tickets. 

 

At the very least the country should find a way of discounting year long visa expats. Proof you have a marriage, retirement or work visa should allow local prices. But in fact and two tiered prices i feel is wrong.

What makes you think that a Thai would be unable to recognise a Filippino?

[chrissables]

4 hours ago, Docno said:

I may be the lone voice in the wilderness on this one, but I'm not that bothered by two-tiered pricing, and you'll find it to be pretty common in developing countries, at least in Asia. Four related reasons:

1. Maintaining national parks comes at a price... it's not free. Developing countries like Thailand don't have a large tax base, so entrance fees help defray the costs.
2. The majority of citizens in developing countries don't have a lot of disposable income. But they should still have the opportunity to enjoy their national heritage at least as much as foreigners (who will generally have more money than the average Thai).
3. Tourists spend 100s/1000s of dollars just to go to Thailand, so another $20 here and there shouldn't be a big deal provided that the attraction is worth the price charged; they also 'save' a lot of money on the low cost of food and drink here during their holiday
4. Most foreigners come from wealthier and more expensive countries. When I arrive in Thailand, the spending power of the money in my wallet magically increase 3-4 times. BT500 won't even get you two beers in a restaurant in Singapore, where I've been spending my time lately ... how many Changs will that get you in Thailand? A BT500 entrance fee will not kill me...

That notwithstanding, perhaps they could not have the higher prices for people over 60. Heck - make this stuff free for over-60s, Thai and foreigner alike (I'm not there yet). And people will naturally do their own arithmetic: like I said above, the attraction better be worth the price. People may be willing to pay $20 to see Sukhothai historical park, but a beach ... perhaps not.

Sukhothai World Heritage Site? It would be interesting to know how much money came from what countries to help maintain it. If they are receiving funds from the UK, we should not be paying the extra 1000% In fact if funded by UNESCO, it should be a fixed price from everyone.

[Fairynuff]

6 hours ago, FunkyDunky58 said:

I live in Thailand but refuse to go to any National Parks because of the 10x pricing. My girlfriend cannot understand why I take this stance. Her rationale is that for a farang its not big money. And that folks is maybe the 'rationale' for the government. We can afford it so why shouldn't we pay it. The paying taxes excuse is BS given half of Thailand exists on a cash economy. By the way I do pay taxes for running my business. The times I have been I have seen poorly maintained facilities and can see Thais that are happy to just drop their litter (plastic bottles mainly) wherever they have finished with them. So I don't think I'm cutting off my nose to spite my face as one poster claimed. I haven't been anywhere yet where I thought it was so beautiful that I really want to come back.

Ask your girlfriend if she's happy to pay 10x the price you'd pay if she goes to your country. ( you know the answer already )

[chrissables]

4 hours ago, oyster said:

Actually the Thai licence helps a lot.

Where, since the new rules were started have you got the Thai price?

[Khon Kaen Dave]

impulse

What exactly can i see here that i cannot see any other place in the world.

have you ever seen mount Rushmore? The bad lands? have you ever seen the Dolphins swimming into Tampa bay just as the sun is going down? Have you seen the island of Ithaca,from the boat out of kefalonia? Have you ever seen Niagra falls (like no other) What about the Scottish highlands in Autumn? Have you seen Custer National Park and been less than 50 feet from an American Bison.Have you seen the pyramids/the museum of ancient art in Cairo?Have you ever been to the Gulf of Mexico and seen the endless span of the sea there? What about the lake district in England .Have you ever been to New Orleans, and sat outside Chef Boyardee's seafood restaurant,on a warm night,  in a wicker chair, drinking a Southern Comfort, watching a steam boat sailing down the Mississippi? Because i have   I could go on, but all of the things i have mentioned are free, or for a admittance fee which does NOT have a price 10x for tourists.

Tell me what i would miss if i didnt see the,so called attractions of Thailand,that doesn't compare with any of the above.Island after island after island,yada yada yada.

[Docno]

3 hours ago, mrmicbkktxl said:

I don't know what kind of Thais do you know and meet.My neighbor is an electric engineer,50.000bt plus bonus plus overtime per month,his wife accountant 25000 plus bonus plus overtime,my girlfriend works for government,32.000bt plus many benefits,most of my thai friends are 25.000bt up,10x25000=250.000bt=7000$.I don't know any foreigner who makes 10 times more than a thai.Maybe upcountry the salary is lower,but those people upcountry are not interested to visit any beach or travel around Thailand,they are happy if they can travel on sundays to market and buy some nice food.My friends from Europe or USA,working very hard and saving money so they can come to Thailand for a vacation,nobody of them has a salary 10 times higher than a thaiI pity them if they get permanent cheated or overcharged..Besides that 10$ is not really on the cheap side,like somebody else said before,you pay to watch a waterfall without water or dirty beaches.Last yr I was in yosemite national park,they charged us 30$ for a week pass and per car not per person,same vacation I went to point reyes national sea shore,entrance was free.And on top of that those people working in there are friendly,they make you feel welcomed,here you have permanent the feeling,they only want your money,'pay,shut up,and go home'

This is wrong on so many counts. The friends you mention are from typical Thais. The average monthly salary for Thais is given here (http://www.tradingeconomics.com/thailand/wages) at bt14,000. Much lower than the bt50,000 of your friend. Every non-Thai I know makes more than 10x that figure of bt14,000/month.  Then there are the countless Thais who work in the agricultural sector at near-subsistence levels.

 

"Maybe upcountry the salary is lower,but those people upcountry are not interested to visit any beach or travel around Thailand,they are happy if they can travel on sundays to market and buy some nice food"

That statement just shows your ignorance and insularity. I have many friends from Thai farming families. Contrary to your belief (prejudice), they don't spend their time drinking see-sip behind the 7-Eleven or stuffing their faces with som tam. They love going to national parks or hopping on their bikes and hanging out by a lake etc. You need to get out of Bangkok/Pattaya and see the country.

[Docno]

12 minutes ago, chrissables said:

Sukhothai World Heritage Site? It would be interesting to know how much money came from what countries to help maintain it. If they are receiving funds from the UK, we should not be paying the extra 1000% In fact if funded by UNESCO, it should be a fixed price from everyone.

Not sure where you get this logic from. Angkor Wat in Cambodia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Entrance for non-Cambodians is now US$37/day. Free for locals.

[chrissables]

3 hours ago, Krataiboy said:

Bizarre that Asia's biggest bulwark against Communism should be awash with closet Reds enthusiastically  practicing the dogma of "each according to his means" preached by Karl Marx.

 

Is the Boss aware of this heresy?

And that Communist Vietnam does not practice dual pricing as a standard practice. Only in Hue did i notice it, at the Citadel, free if Vietnamese, a small charge for everyone else.

[chrissables]

2 hours ago, ThaiWai said:

Ok, so then why don't you start paying 10x for gas or 10x for food or 10x for medical treatment since it makes so much sense to you? 

Medical treatment! Pretty sure there is added costs there! :)

[chrissables]

1 hour ago, Pilotman said:

Of course there should be differential pricing so that Thais with lower  incomes can access facilities. Tourists should pay more and let's face it, the amounts hardly break the bank. Try a tourist attraction in the UK, where you pay hideous amounts of money the third rate attractions, and have anybof you gone to rip off  attractions in the US lately . 

Do you really think a  1,000 % price difference is moral?

[happy pattaya man]

Why not put Thais prices up to 50% of the farangs?? same same

 

hpm.

[chrissables]

36 minutes ago, gdgbb said:

What makes you think that a Thai would be unable to recognise a Filippino?

She was sat on the back of the bike wearing a full face helmet and obviously Asian. They handed me the 800 tickets without speaking to her, impossible they knew.

[chrissables]

24 minutes ago, Docno said:

Not sure where you get this logic from. Angkor Wat in Cambodia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Entrance for non-Cambodians is now US$37/day. Free for locals.

My logic also applies to Angkor Wat and all UNESCO sites. If they receive UNESCO funding, they should be unable by contract to double price.

[Fairynuff]

I think it's wonderful that these boat operators care so much about us. They're going out to protest on our behalf that we should only pay 5x the price. 

[gdgbb]

3 minutes ago, chrissables said:

She was sat on the back of the bike wearing a full face helmet and obviously Asian. They handed me the 800 tickets without speaking to her, impossible they knew.

If she was visible enough to be "obviously Asian" then surely she would have been visible enough for a local to know she wasn't Thai.  Perhaps the fact that she may have been thought to be trying to hide her nationality under a helmet didn't help?

 

I'm not really sure what your point is, are you saying that even though she was a foreigner she should have been exempted from the foreigner charge?

[gdgbb]

18 minutes ago, chrissables said:

Do you really think a  1,000 % price difference is moral?

Morality doesn't come into National Park entry pricing, it's a commercial decision, that's all.

[williamgeorgeallen]

7 hours ago, TheFishman1 said:

Morons only place I've been where tourist pay double or triple price even on haircuts at some places TIT

you are missing out. some places around thailand are worth the 12USD entry fee.

[joecoolfrog]

7 hours ago, Tanlic said:

There are hundreds of thousands of Thais who can afford to pay 400 baht for an entrance fee but there are millions who can not. There are Thais who have never even seen the ocean, never set foot on a plane or been a holiday in their lives,.....If me paying 400 Baht allows some poor Thais access to a park that they could otherwise not afford then stuff the boat people who care nothing for them only their own pockets.

You make some fair points but perhaps paint an overly romantic picture. It is of course a question of perception but I rather fancy that Farangs are subsidising the lifestyles of certain officials , rather than the aspirations of poor village folk.

[NextStationBangkok]

5 hours ago, 12DrinkMore said:

 

You will want to avoid Siem Reap in that case.

 

Locals free, tourists around USD 30/day (from memory) 

Not $50/day for AnkorWat entry.

 

Actually it is worth visiting such historical monument, moreover Cambodia is not rich like Thailand.

 

[maxcorrigan]

1 hour ago, Fairynuff said:

Ask your girlfriend if she's happy to pay 10x the price you'd pay if she goes to your country. ( you know the answer already )

I already did, we visited Madame Tussaud's in London entrance fee £30 (rip off) i said to my Thai wife would you be happy to pay £300 entrance fee being as you are Thai, as we flangs are forced to pay in Thailand if we want to visit a NP?

Needless to say,there was no answer!

As others have have pointed out it is the principal of the whole thing, that galls me!

[fishhooks]

Wow....We will soon be up to 200 suggestions/replies about a matter which is not going to in any way change.

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

impulse
What exactly can i see here that i cannot see any other place in the world.
have you ever seen mount Rushmore? The bad lands? have you ever seen the Dolphins swimming into Tampa bay just as the sun is going down? Have you seen the island of Ithaca,from the boat out of kefalonia? Have you ever seen Niagra falls (like no other) What about the Scottish highlands in Autumn? Have you seen Custer National Park and been less than 50 feet from an American Bison.Have you seen the pyramids/the museum of ancient art in Cairo?Have you ever been to the Gulf of Mexico and seen the endless span of the sea there? What about the lake district in England .Have you ever been to New Orleans, and sat outside Chef Boyardee's seafood restaurant,on a warm night,  in a wicker chair, drinking a Southern Comfort, watching a steam boat sailing down the Mississippi? Because i have   I could go on, but all of the things i have mentioned are free, or for a admittance fee which does NOT have a price 10x for tourists.
Tell me what i would miss if i didnt see the,so called attractions of Thailand,that doesn't compare with any of the above.Island after island after island,yada yada yada.

Don't forget Dave here in Thailand you can see " the hanging gardens of Babylon, hoardes of wildebeest sweeping majestically across the plains " and on a good day a Torquay see view !!

Or maybe not [emoji51]


Sent from my iPhone with the usual amount of sincerity and sarcasm [emoji4]

[louse1953]

8 hours ago, NextStationBangkok said:

They want more tourists to come and place should not be get dirty is not fair.

 

Why not charge Thai's 300 and foreigners 400. They make word Alien non-affordable.

 

Then why do you give visa to everyone, just limit the number of visas per year and after Nov tell Thailand is closed for tourists, just say no if you like to reduce the tourists.

 

Many will be happy to visit Myanmar, and Cambodia too, let them get some fair share too.

I am in Siem Reap now and it is $us37 for 1 day for Angkor Wat.Now i think this is not too bad,it is pretty impressive.Luckily i saw it when it was only $20.I don't go to Thai NP's any more.

[DSJPC]

maybe, just maybe, there IS some light at the end of the tunnel!!!

[maxcorrigan]

2 hours ago, Fairynuff said:

And insisted that foreigners be charged 20x instead of 10x ?

Yes I can believe that, that would fit nicely into his Friday evening sermon, explained with his seriously concerned head on, and bringing yet even more happiness to the Thai people!

[SunsetT]

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/boat-operators-block-sea-lanes-noppharat-thara-ko-phi-phi-national-park-demand-reduction-entry-fee-half/

[mrmicbkktxl]

1 hour ago, Docno said:

This is wrong on so many counts. The friends you mention are from typical Thais. The average monthly salary for Thais is given here (http://www.tradingeconomics.com/thailand/wages) at bt14,000. Much lower than the bt50,000 of your friend. Every non-Thai I know makes more than 10x that figure of bt14,000/month.  Then there are the countless Thais who work in the agricultural sector at near-subsistence levels.

 

"Maybe upcountry the salary is lower,but those people upcountry are not interested to visit any beach or travel around Thailand,they are happy if they can travel on sundays to market and buy some nice food"

That statement just shows your ignorance and insularity. I have many friends from Thai farming families. Contrary to your belief (prejudice), they don't spend their time drinking see-sip behind the 7-Eleven or stuffing their faces with som tam. They love going to national parks or hopping on their bikes and hanging out by a lake etc. You need to get out of Bangkok/Pattaya and see the country.

Yeah right,I stayed 6 yrs in Surin,Samrongthap[next 7/11 22 km,tesco surin 33 km],so  I  know what I'm talking about.Maybe you should leave nakhon nowhere and come to the real world,by the way I don't stay in Bangkok or Pattaya.And yes the average wage is about 14000bt,but if you look at it provence  by provence you will see a big difference in north and south Thailand.Ok try to ask father of your wife if he wants to go to Krabi with you,let me know what he said.ooops I have no idea what is a 'typical thai',my neighbor is from Sukothai,his wife from Petchaboon,my girlfriend from Prachinburi,means they are not typical thai?????

[elgordo38]

6 hours ago, Docno said:

I may be the lone voice in the wilderness on this one, but I'm not that bothered by two-tiered pricing, and you'll find it to be pretty common in developing countries, at least in Asia. Four related reasons:

1. Maintaining national parks comes at a price... it's not free. Developing countries like Thailand don't have a large tax base, so entrance fees help defray the costs.
2. The majority of citizens in developing countries don't have a lot of disposable income. But they should still have the opportunity to enjoy their national heritage at least as much as foreigners (who will generally have more money than the average Thai).
3. Tourists spend 100s/1000s of dollars just to go to Thailand, so another $20 here and there shouldn't be a big deal provided that the attraction is worth the price charged; they also 'save' a lot of money on the low cost of food and drink here during their holiday
4. Most foreigners come from wealthier and more expensive countries. When I arrive in Thailand, the spending power of the money in my wallet magically increase 3-4 times. BT500 won't even get you two beers in a restaurant in Singapore, where I've been spending my time lately ... how many Changs will that get you in Thailand? A BT500 entrance fee will not kill me...

That notwithstanding, perhaps they could not have the higher prices for people over 60. Heck - make this stuff free for over-60s, Thai and foreigner alike (I'm not there yet). And people will naturally do their own arithmetic: like I said above, the attraction better be worth the price. People may be willing to pay $20 to see Sukhothai historical park, but a beach ... perhaps not.

I just gave you a like your never a lone voice on TV. Somebody will always appear and throw stones at you.