Sunday, December 2, 2012

Price Difference

I was looking at the website for the Indian luxury train, The Golden Chariot.  I was surprised that there are different prices for Indian citizens and foreigners.  Here are the rates for a 7 night travel:
 
Double occupancy per person - Indian National – Rs.1,15,500/-
Double occupancy per person – Foreigners - $3,835 (Rs.2,07,022/-)
 
Even entrance fees to Taj Mahal is Rs.20/- for Indian citizens and Rs.250 for foreigners.
 
I have seen some brand name star hotels in India have different (higher) rates for foreigners.
 
Foreigners mean all foreigners whether they are from USA or from Liberia (the second poorest country in the world). Number one is Congo.
 
I am not complaining about India only.  This is prevalent in a few other countries.  I have first hand experience in Turkey and Egypt. Recently, a person complained that in Cairo, they charged a foreigner to pray in the mosque.
 
Foreigners are considered rich. If they can travel all the way from their country they must be rich.  But not all foreigners are rich.  There are lots of countries that are more poorer than India.
 
I think (I may be wrong) a lot of tourists to India are NRIs and Indian origin people.  Many of them can sneak in as Indian citizens because they can speak their mother tongue fluently.  I can speak a better Madras Bashai than any auto rickshaw driver in Chennai.
 
It is only the white people and people with African hairdo are the unlucky ones.
 
May be all countries should follow this practice.  For example, Disneyland charges $87 per person for one day admission.  They should charge $156 for foreigners.  I have used the same ratio as the Golden Chariot rate.  Not the outrageous ratio for Taj Mahal entrance fee.  This ratio would cost a foreigner $1,088 to enter Disneyland.  That is bad.
 
Bob Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company, is looking for ways to increase his company’s revenue.  Next time I have lunch with Bob I will mention this to him. HaHaHa.
Posted by at

34 comments:

  1. JayashreeDecember 2, 2012 at 9:37 PM

    I too have thought about the logic behind this method of charging differently for foreigners. Doesn't make much sense at all.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Privy TriflesDecember 2, 2012 at 9:44 PM

    :D

    Actually you have a point there..but you know what SG things are not that good for Indian nationals also at some places. One of my friend had been to Wagah border where despite paying the entrace fees (in Indian rupees I know :)) the sitting arrangement was worse than that for foreigners as they had nice cosy chairs laid out in front for better view and all... I actually wonder what do these people want to prove by showing this discrimination.Is it wrong to visit another country than yours??

    ReplyDelete
  3. SGDecember 2, 2012 at 9:45 PM

    Thanks for your comments Jayashree. I will tell Bob Iger to give you and your family a free 3-day pass to Disneyland.

    ReplyDelete
  4. SGDecember 2, 2012 at 9:48 PM

    Thanks for your comments Me. I understand what you are saying.

    ReplyDelete
  5. rudraprayagaDecember 2, 2012 at 11:51 PM

    Everywhere business and profit. Why can't people consider the humans as a single lot.It is correct one way or other we are victims partiality and segregation.We all come to the earth empty- handed and go from here in yhe same pattern.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Who Posted This?December 3, 2012 at 12:17 AM

    Oh My GOD!
    This is absolutely ridiculous.

    No one should get a better price for the same experience just because of their nationality...or any other reason.
    All humans should get a fair and equal price for the same experience.

    Regards,
    Senior Citizens
    Students
    Infants
    Military Personnel

    ReplyDelete
  7. ekta khetanDecember 3, 2012 at 2:38 AM

    Hello..Indian currency is much lower than ur phoren dollar.

    So you want to earn in dollars n spend in rupees? how mean?

    Do Indians get to spend in ruppees when they travel abroad? no na...so why make issue...Rather you should ask bob and others to lower the charges for Indian people...

    ReplyDelete
  8. VJDecember 3, 2012 at 6:03 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  9. VJDecember 3, 2012 at 6:04 AM

    Well, worse discrimination can be seen at the Madurai Meenakshi Temple with its neighbourly sign that says "Foreigners not allowed beyond this point".

    Part of me thinks shame on people, another part of me thinks its foolish to expect a Utopian world!

    ReplyDelete
  10. SGDecember 3, 2012 at 7:43 AM

    Thanks for your comments Sarala. I second what you are saying.

    ReplyDelete
  11. SGDecember 3, 2012 at 7:44 AM

    Thanks for your comments "free loaders". I appreciate your honesty.

    ReplyDelete
  12. SGDecember 3, 2012 at 7:50 AM

    Thanks for your comments Ekta. Looks like you were in a hurry and just glanced through my post. Please read it again. Why do you assume “foreigner” means Americans? Indians charge the same “foreigner” fees to people from Liberia (second poorest nation on earth) and Congo (the poorest nation on earth) also. This must be stopped.

    Since the government babus are doing nothing in Delhi, they can come out with a country by country admission fees/tariff list.

    ReplyDelete
  13. SGDecember 3, 2012 at 8:01 AM

    Thanks for your comments V. I have a feeling these sign boards are not enforced. In Tirupathi, there is a sign that says "Non Hindus are not allowed". Is there someone checking? Also, non-Hindu VVIPs are given royal treatment.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Destination InfinityDecember 3, 2012 at 9:53 AM

    This happens at a lot of tourist places that I visit. I asked about it once and the admin there told me that 5 rupees in India is like $5 in USD. It's the same!! :)

    I think they can have separate (lower) entry charges for people from other parts of Asia/Africa (at least), at tourist places. But the best thing to do is not to discriminate and hence welcome more tourists.

    Destination Infinity

    ReplyDelete
  15. SGDecember 3, 2012 at 10:05 AM

    Thanks for your comments Rajesh. What you say makes lot of sense. Americans and other "richer" nationals do not mind paying a higher amount. At the same time, there should be lower fees or same fee for people from poorer countries.

    ReplyDelete
  16. VJDecember 3, 2012 at 1:47 PM

    SG - I dont know whether its enforced or not, hardly the point! I just found it much worse than charging a different price. In Fort Kochi, theres this restaurant that will not serve you if you are Indian, guess it works both ways!

    ReplyDelete
  17. SGDecember 3, 2012 at 2:54 PM

    Thanks for your comments V. They will not serve you if you are an Indian? That is outrageous. Where are the so called patriots? Where are the protestors?

    ReplyDelete
  18. RenuDecember 3, 2012 at 8:59 PM

    I dont think anyone should mind paying more, when they are going to see any foreign country, means they have money....
    In a free world it should be acceptable.

    ReplyDelete
  19. SGDecember 3, 2012 at 10:56 PM

    Cool Renu. Next time you visit Disneyland I will ask them to charge you $156 per day. By visiting USA I know you have money. In a free world it should be acceptable. To hell with people from Liberia and Congo. Who cares for these poor people.

    ReplyDelete
  20. ekta khetanDecember 4, 2012 at 2:01 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  21. ekta khetanDecember 4, 2012 at 2:04 AM

    Who says govt babus n Delhi ministry is doing nothing? They r busy taking naps and meanwhile jailing ppl esp girls for liking a post on FB and other social media.

    Bahut kaam hai unn becharo ko! At least doosre ke desh mein jabardasti nahi chale jaate bush ki tarah! lolz...

    ReplyDelete
  22. Meera SundararajanDecember 4, 2012 at 7:59 AM

    @ SG when I visited the Mahabalipuram temple with an australian friend they charged her the Indian rate and charged me the foreign rate- reason? It seems she looked like a Punjabi while it I looked like a Sri Lankan to the counter clerk- So what do you think I did ? I told him that both of us were Indian. Thankfully he only demanded my ID :))

    ReplyDelete
  23. SGDecember 4, 2012 at 12:11 PM

    Thanks for your comments Ekta. I have no idea what you wrote because I don't understand Hindi. Anyhow, good to hear from you again. Thanks Ekta.

    ReplyDelete
  24. SGDecember 4, 2012 at 12:18 PM

    Thanks for your comments Meera. That is ridiculous. People do things like that everywhere. Once I came from USA, landed in Delhi, and after a few days came to Chennai. When I tried to register in a star hotel, the clerk asked me where I come from. I said I am coming from Delhi. (That was correct technically.) He then asked me to show my passport. I asked him do they require passport to travel from Delhi to Chennai. He backed off. If he had asked for my ID, I would have shown him my driver’s license or even my passport.

    ReplyDelete
  25. SGDecember 4, 2012 at 6:23 PM

    @ Meera. One more thing. Instead of showing your ID, you should have said something in “Madras Bashai” to prove your native is Chennai.

    Ennada Kaidhey Kasmalam. Ennadayey bejaar panraya?

    (Translation: Hey donkey, idiot. Are you giving me trouble?) The words are low class street language that only people from Chennai would understand.

    Words like this from a neatly dressed modern woman, the ticket guy would have ran way very far from there. HaHaHa.

    ReplyDelete
  26. ZephyrDecember 4, 2012 at 8:15 PM

    It is all due to stereoptyping -- white skin means foreigner (even if he or she is an Indian citizen), and they are all rich. So fleece them. As you say, NRIs get away since they blend with the locals. But some budget tourists like the students from Israel are hard bargainers and they generally avoid these tourist hotspots and zero in on places where they can drive a good bargain and enjoy the sights. You should see how the locals complain about them :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. SGDecember 4, 2012 at 8:40 PM

    Thanks for your comments Zephyr. Fleece them. Ahh. That is the right word.

    Thanks again Zyphyr. You gave me the topic for my next post.

    ReplyDelete
  28. JeevanDecember 5, 2012 at 8:04 AM

    Yes, not every foreigner is rich. There is a need of change like DI says.

    ReplyDelete
  29. smDecember 5, 2012 at 9:27 AM

    nice post covering all points

    ReplyDelete
  30. SGDecember 5, 2012 at 11:50 AM

    Thanks for your comments Jeevan. I also like DI's suggestion.

    ReplyDelete
  31. SGDecember 5, 2012 at 11:51 AM

    Thanks for your commens sm. I am glad you liked this post.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anupama K. MazumderDecember 7, 2012 at 11:33 PM

    Must be a well-thought out policy decision?

    www.anucreations.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete
  33. SGDecember 8, 2012 at 11:50 AM

    Thanks for your comments Anupama. Looks like it.

    ReplyDelete
  34. VetirmagalDecember 20, 2012 at 1:23 AM

    To find out the logic behind the method of charging for foreigners, we need to find out who gave those orders, in the concerned ministry. An RTI application might reveal the brain behind that.:-)

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)