After traveling to so many countries around the world, it is not a new thing to realize that I have to pay the tourist price at every new place, especially the foreign countries. Even though I am an Indian, I have to pay a higher price in the local markets of different cities. Different areas in India have varied prices for the services they offer, but the situation is even worse abroad.
When I was in Karnataka, I had hired Self-Drive Cars in Bangalore for a much cheaper price than in Thailand. A few Asian countries are much ahead than India in quoting a higher price from the tourists. And Vietnam, for example, is even worse in this regard. I would often hear the local Vietnamese girls asking for money if we wanted to click their photos. Even for drinks and food, we had to pay more money than the locals.
Paying extra money to the locals seems fair only to an extent, but it starts bothering me when the feeling of being ripped off starts setting in. Since I am an Indian, I have an idea how I have to haggle with people, but I have seen some westerns getting frustrated at this behavior since they are not habitual of haggling so much.
The locals in many tourist places often give an excuse that the holiday makers earn more money than them. Therefore, it is their duty to pay more for the local facilities. I agree to it up to a point that we do put a lot of pressure on the local amenities for a few months in a year, so we must pay for it. However, this should not become a blame game; it is not a tourist’s fault that she earn more than an Asian woman in a household. If all the travelers were rich, they would not mind paying more than the locals for everything, but it is not true at all. Not all travelers are rich; many of them work hard to save money for their holidays. And if I have to analyze my budget five times a day, it is not a good idea at all, and no one else would like to do that either.
How do you keep a check on the financial status of a tourist?
Just by looking at the color of their skin?
That’s not fair at all. A white-skinned person can be poor and a brown-skinned person can be wealthy. Appearance, color of the skin, or any other visible thing cannot be the criteria to charge more from a tourist. Many people travel on a strict budget, and if they do not keep a check on it, their journey is over much sooner than it would. In my case, if I stay for three days in Thailand just because I cannot afford to stay for seven days on a strict budget, it is their financial loss, not mine, even though it’s I would feel emotionally unfulfilled.
The tourist price is justified only when it is kept in check. It should not become a menace like it has become now in most countries of the world.
Mychoize Self Drive Cars 