Double-pricing in Thailand

Double-pricing in Thailand is very much part of life for those of us living here. If you don't look Thai then you can be fairly sure that you will be expected to pay a lot more for things than the locals. This isn't just local rip-off merchants out to make a quick bit of extra money off unsuspecting tourists; double-pricing in Thailand is sanctioned by the governing authorities, and if you visit any of the national parks you will see two admission prices; one for Thai people and one for tourists. The government occasionally makes claims to be discouraging double-pricing in Thailand, or at least to discourage it when it doesn't involve the two-tier pricing that they approve of, but these attempts are half-hearted at best. It is no wonder that the small business person in Thailand has no qualms about overcharging tourists when they see that the local authorities do the exact same thing. Why shouldn't they overcharge the tourist a few extra baht when the the local government-run tourist attraction adds on a few hundred baht?

The arguments for double-pricing in Thailand are connected to the belief that tourists are in the country to spend money, and that it is only polite to assist them in doing this. After all, it is a bit of a hassle to exchange Thai currency when leaving Thailand, so why not just spend it all. This may sound a bit flippant, but this really does seem to be the attitude of those responsible for the official double-pricing in Thailand; if we are rich enough to come to Thailand then you should share the wealth by paying more than the locals.

For those of us who live long-term here, double-pricing in Thailand can be a bit of a drain on finances. I am usually able to bypass the official double-pricing by using my teaching license or Thai tax identification. The unofficial double-pricing though, is much harder to evade. Thai merchants, who don't know me, will often try and charge me a lot more than the usual price for things, and it can often take a lot of smiling and polite-chat to get anywhere near the normal price of things. This is why I so often prefer my wife to purchase items. This is not always possible and last week when my motorbike ran out of petrol I had to pay double the normal price for a bottle of fuel.

It is hard to believe that double-pricing in Thailand will improve until the government stops it occurring officially as well as unofficially. This might involve a bit of a loss in revenue in the short-term, but maybe not as much as they think. I have see quite a few people walk away from tourist attractions when they saw how much more they would be expected to pay for the privilege.