Ministry wants end to dual pricing

Foreigners are charged 200 baht to enter Sa Morakot (Emerald Pool), a popular attraction in Krabi, while Thais pay just 20 baht. Photo from 2PriceThailand Facebook page
Foreigners are charged 200 baht to enter Sa Morakot (Emerald Pool), a popular attraction in Krabi, while Thais pay just 20 baht. Photo from 2PriceThailand Facebook page

The Tourism and Sports Ministry plans to propose to the prime minister the idea of ditching dual pricing at local attractions for expats in Thailand, as well as asking tour operators to make packages for this group.

The packages should be attractive enough to attract expats, a group that could contribute 1 billion baht in tourism revenue to help stimulate the economy, said Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, the tourism and sports minister.

"I'm planning to discuss offering expatriates the same price as locals with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, providing them an equal chance to visit tourist sites such as national parks and temples," Mr Phiphat said.

Meanwhile, the ministry, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and tourism operators are scheduled to hold a meeting today with private tour companies about creating packages for expats, both as a group and for independent tourists.

Expats here deserve to be treated like locals but they regularly face price discrimination, said TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn.

Mr Yuthasak said one idea is to provide an identification card for expats to use while travelling.

The agency is also planning to introduce a weekday tourism campaign to help increase the number of tourists on work days.

A conclusion on both plans is expected to be reached this week.

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Vocabulary

  • discrimination: the practice of treating someone or a particular group in society less fairly than others - การเลือกปฏิบัติ, การแบ่งแยก
  • dual-pricing: charging one group of people a different price than another -
  • economy: the relationship between production, trade and the supply of money in a particular country or region - เศรษฐกิจ
  • expatriate (expat): a person living in a country that is not their own - คนที่อาศัยอยู่ต่างประเทศ (เป็นเวลานาน)
  • package: many goods or services sold together in one "package" -
  • stimulate: to make something develop or become more active; to encourage something - กระตุ้น, ส่งเสริม

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