Does your country do that thing – one price for locals, a completely different one for tourists, not only officially like museums, which is more than fine, but also merchants and shopkeepers, cafes, restaurants especially?
There’s no official dual pricing at home,and not a lot of unofficial one either.Of course ‘tourist cafes and restaurants ‘ are more expensive, but if local people go there then they pay the same inflated prices that tourists pay.
That’s in the city.In some of the smaller places in Sicily (my region )I know unofficial dual pricing exists…on the minor islands for example.
I have friends and family members on Lipari for example..if they go to a bar, they don’t pay the menu price, they pay less.
Local people couldn’t afford to pay the high menu prices on these small islands where almost every business relies on tourists.
Nope , or atleast not in the way u said it. Here it’s common in seaside towns that
It’ll have atleast 2 chippy’s, one that the locals go to which is just a small bar which is well priced and well portioned, then there’s another chippy which has seating which has tiny portions and ridiculous prices which tourists think is much better since it has seating so that’s they’re whole business is because they have seating they get customers
There’s the thing where you get 50% off all public transport with a subscription that costs very little but for which you need a local mailing address.
Very occasionally, and perhaps more commonly in the pre-Eurozone times, you’d see that in Cyprus too.
But nowadays, there’s the more universal and less controversial method: tourist areas have higher prices, and they would also affect locals if locals ever visited tourist areas (which they rarely do).
No that doesnt exist in that way. Maybe some discount programs are only available for Dutch residents. But its not like there are two prices, one for a local and another for a foreigner. I think this isnt even allowed.
Many bars and restaurants in cities on the coast do that, museums cannot do that.
The reply is simple, locals will not go pay the absurd amount of money they charge to tourist, and locals are often friends ( not so many people leave there ).
If you lost locals during the winter you still have to live there without any customer and the owners of other shops that will remember what you did.
It seems pretty OK to me, if I had a bar I will always make discount for friends and full price for strnagers.
I live up in lapland during the winter and in a way: yes. Most of the companies there give a -10% for everyone who lives there / is working there. The “supermarket” doesn’t do it, because that’d be bad. They have such a high prices that locals get their food items from elsewhere most of the time.
I don’t think it happens often but both in De and Ro +I’ve seen some times such a behaviour for tourist ( restaurant, buying from local, some taxis) but it’s not that widespread
A few years ago in Prague, some food stands in tourist areas listed the same food twice. Once in english and once in czech. The czech version of the same food was 3 times cheaper. E.g. Hot Dog – Parek v rohliku.
But I havent seen this practise in a while.
I grew up in an extremely touristy area and often tourists get better prices for example for public transport. Usually if they sign up via their hotel they’ll get really good deals while we have to pay ridiculously high prices.
It certainly doesn’t help the resentment that’s building and it’s noticeable in strikes, protests, and voting.
There’s are comparably few super rich hotel owners and then the rest of us mere mortals who don’t really profit much but have to deal with things like not even getting home from work on what’s supposed to be a twenty minute drive without two+ hours of traffic on the regular. All while tourists get by cheaper than us when it comes to transport and entry to many of our infrastructure etc.
I know of at least one store in the the touristy bit of Stockholm that advertises prices in SEK, EUR, and USD where the the USD price is more than the rest. I don’t think they actually use the USD price in practice, maybe if they try to pay in physical dollars as a build in fee.
In Austria we have relatively high prices for groceries compared to our bigger neighbour Germany.
We locals get 3-4 stickers for 25 % off every week together with the advertisements in our post box. The sticker can be put on almost any product and gives you a discount at the checkout. Most of the time the supermarket does not remove the sticker at the checkout and they tolerate, that you use the sticker again. – So using the discount stickers optimised, we pay 25 % less than tourists.
I think most European countries are too wealthy (yes, even Eastern European nowadays) and too well-regulated for this. Stuff like this is usual in countries where locals earn 10x less than the tourists so they wouldn’t afford it otherwise, and where it would be ridiculously cheap for tourists if they applied the local price.
We don’t have that in Sweden, and I feel it would be quite unethical, and would feel quite hostile towards tourism. In Sweden we generally don’t really have a problem with over-tourism. Rather, we still want to attract more international tourists, so that would be quite counterproductive.
The whole of Ireland has tourist prices applied to one and all. It’s killing tourism, and locals find it cheaper to fly away for a couple of days versus spend a couple of nights in a hotel in Ireland.
No, they just charge us locals the same ridiculous prices they charge tourists. Which is why we go to Spain, Italy and Greece for our vacations instead. It’s ultimately cheaper to get on a plane and travel to the other side of the continent.
Bulgaria, 2009-ish. I’ve worked at local sea resort and the prices didn’t have currency. It was in BGN for Bulgarians, then in euro for everybody else ( also USD for Americans were ok ). The currency exchange is ~ 2 BGN for 1 euro, so double for foreigners.
This was the least shady thing happening at this place.
No because it’s illegal in France (and I guess in a lot of countries in Europe). But what happens is that everything is more expensive in touristic areas and locals knows it, so they usually have their own cheaper spots away from touristic sites.
I grew up in Hannover, which, in the past, hosted large industrial fairs and exhibitions, increasing the population by 30% during one week.
During this time, a lot of venues in the centre had a 2nd menu with increased prices. If you asked a waiter if you wanted to pay the “normal price”, they would often let you…
Not really, no. Of course there’s stuff that is far more expensive because it’s catering towards tourists. Buying a coffee or going to a restaurant in a tourist hotspot us going to be pricey. But you wouldn’t pay less at those places if you’re a native. It’s an equal opportunities rip-off. Sane goes for a lot of the typical souvenir things. If you buy a random I love Berlin shirt you’re probably going to pay a lot for a relatively low quality item. But again, it’s not like there are secret places where Germans could buy touristy knickknacks on the cheap. And then there’s things that are considered typically German,but which nobody here actually buys or owns. Think of beer steins, cuckoo clocks and lederhosen (especially anywhere outside Bavaria). Those are basically just marketed towards tourists and priced accordingly.
Yeah with some atractions. I don’t see a lot of different prices for tourists VS locals. Here’s it’s more that locals know where people is being ripped off (tourisc areas) and just don’t go there. But if we decide to go, they will rip us off the same.
I don’t think so. Of course, I cannot visit my own country as a tourist, maybe if I did a good job of pretending, which could be a fun experiment. But I genuinely think stuff like this might only happen in some shady taxis you call on the roadside. And to combat that there are taxi apps where you get to know the fare beforehand.
Tourism is not as huge as in other european countries and there aren’t many places you could consider “tourist traps”, i think in most establishments you’d rather just encounter a welcoming attitude just because someone foreign visiting is not that common.
In Switzerland it can be that residents of certain villages get reduced fares for ski or pool passes.
I find this fair, as these places are subsidised by taxes that only the locals pay.
Most places where I’ve seen this implemented officially have always felt like a rip off. While I understand that the local people don’t have the same purchasing power, the prices are often 5+ times more expensive. But what annoys me more is that you get nothing for paying that high price. No signs in English or other languages, no audioguide, not even a pamphlet. Because in addition to paying the exorbitant entrance price they want to force you to hire a guide. Who will take you to some stands where you can waste more of your money.
I like how Japan does it, because translating text obviously does come with a cost. Here everyone pays the same price (except kids and so on) but the information is mostly in Japanese. You can however almost always buy an audioguide, not just in English but in multiple languages, making it even more fair as not everyone speaks English.
I don’t believe it exists anymore here. When I was a child, some places (such as the national museum) had lower or no rates for entry for residents of Denmark. I haven’t seen that in ages. I have never seen it in the hospitality sector
I have seen entry price differences recently in Italy (and potentially transportation discounts as well, but I don’t know if I read the sign correctly, so I can’t say 100%).
I don’t believe I have experienced direct charges for being a tourist in hospitality abroad (at least not to my knowledge, lol). But I have seen prices in some places for on-site being almost triple the takeaway price without that being explicitly stated. Even if it had been, I’d say that was a bit of a ripoff. It is one thing to give a small symbolic discount for takeaway, but another to raise the prices so drastically for daring to sit down
For stuff like transportation or cultural sites, I can see some arguments for it, even if I am not a big fan of that practice. But I see nothing beyond greed, when it comes to hospitality, and needless to say that isn’t a valid reason
In the European Union, it’s illegal to charge a different price to people of a different EU country. At most, museums, universities, etc can charge a lower price to “residents” which includes anyone legally living in the country.
In Portugal, all cafés and restaurants are required to have their prices visible, so they won’t charge more, but they might give discounts to regular clients if they feel like it.
In Brugge Belgium I know of 2 frituurs ( fries and fried snacks) that give 10% discount to locals. I thinks it fucking sucks actually and won’t give them my custom. Fuck discrimination!
In the Netherlands, not officially but if you are a resident, you have access to a lot of discounts the tourists don’t have. Most public transit has laughably affordable discounts that significantly cuts the price to use those services. There is the MuseumKaart (or just the lottery) that gives you free access to most museums in the country for €160 a year.
This may be completely normal but living here is the first time I have truly taken advantage. I also think I have gotten ripped off when it comes to services done at my house because I don’t speak the language.
I have seen somewhat frequent museums/art shows to be free to visit like 1 evening a week or even like 1 day a month. So if you are a local, you can plan ahead to visit on those days. Tourists are also free to enter then but tourists can not really plan around that.
In Turkey yes, both in ”official” places like museums, and by overcharging tourists left right and centre. Considering the insane wealth gap between native citizens and foreign tourists, and our spectacularly failing economy, I cant say I blame anyone for trying to get a few more euros out of a European or American visitor.
Cy/EU don’t go anywhere near tourist areas and your fine insist on seeing prices before you buy and insist. Government controlled archeology sites are usually only 1 EU to enter and very good snack prices. Recently water bottle prices all over the island have been Regulated to 60 cent per 500ml (may become less) because of the hikes.
It depends on the city, in my town, Oostende, they charge less for locals in the swimingpool or community museums, but that’s it. No difference between Belgian or international tourists.
In Belgium in 99% of the cases I think not. Prices in bars, shops and restaurants in touristic locations can be higher, but in general not for tourists exclusively.
Maybe taxis rip off tourists sometimes, but even if you pay the regular rate it already feels like a rip off. Taxis are insanely expensive here. To be honest I even think it is illegal in Belgium to apply double tier pricing.
The only place I’m aware of, near me, at least, is Salisbury cathedral. It’s free to locals who are in a certain postcode range. Everyone else has to pay, and it’s not that cheap.
Switzerland does this for public transport: most people buy an annual “half fare card” for 170 francs, which halves the price of most public transport. So occasional travellers pay a lot more. There is a tourist version for one month, but it costs 120 francs. It’s a similar situation for roads: to drive on motorways you need a “vignette” that costs 40 francs and is valid for one calendar year. No option to buy one with a shorter validity period.
I don’t think that happens here in Luxembourg where I currently live, but it certainly happens all the time in Thailand and I find it both disgusting and racist!
On a surface level it feels unfair and it definitely complicates things a lot for people who may travel on a budget which is a bit unfair. But overtourism is destructive to areas that suffer from it and some sort of measure has to curb it. In the majority of cases people travel to “poorer” countries than their own for obvious reasons. Charging them a somewhat proportional amount similar to how much more money they make than locals is not exactly the end of the world.
However I do feel it’s an overall poorly thought out measure that affects negatively a lot of people who are not part of the problem while it only slightly inconveniences people who are the problem.
No that is literally illegal. Even museums have one flat fee for basic adult and family tickets for everyone. All shops and restaurants must price their items visibly, you know how much an item costs before you take it off the shelf, it’s not the shopkeeper or waiter bluffing something right before you pay. That sounds incredibly weird and backwards.
Finland no. I’ve seen this especially in Turkey and Hungary.
One way of doing this is adding a service fee to the tourist’s bill. In some places you need a loyalty card almost everywhere to get sometimes significantly lower prices.
Not in Sweden. A lot of European countries with super heavy tourism, like parts of Spain, Paris, Venice and the Greek islands probably should. Sliding scale? I think for coastal places especially the cruise ships are a heavy load most think they might as.well go without.
I would say, no in Spain.
But touristy areas have higher prices, those prices are paid by locals that want to consume there aswell, but locals avoid those places, not only for the price.
Also museums, castles and stuff related with history or heritage might have a reduced price or just be free of charge for local people, by local I mean people from the same province or autonomous community, as is understood that people shouldn’t pay to visit or learn about their own heritage(it depends a lot on politicians this) but the rest of the people of the country pay the same price as tourists.
At a small airport in Spain I was behind a fellow Brit who ordered 2 large beers. He received them and paid. I asked for “Dos cervezas grandes por favor.” I got 2 larger beers than him for the same price…
The look on his face was priceless! I just wanted to practice my Spanish 😂
No, in my country there are places only for foreigners with bad food, expensive food and service of dubious quality and places for local people with good prices, good quality and good service.
Haven’t encountered that, ever, but living in one of the most touristic streets of paris I kind of with they wouldn’t charge me 5€ for a double espresso….
Cafes, restaurants and brick-and-mortar stores, usually no. Online stores however, especially travel agencies and hotel booking sites, may have different rates depending on a) from where you access them and b) what technology you are using (desktop browser/mobile browser/app, or iOS/Android)
Comments
In most cases,no.
There’s no official dual pricing at home,and not a lot of unofficial one either.Of course ‘tourist cafes and restaurants ‘ are more expensive, but if local people go there then they pay the same inflated prices that tourists pay.
That’s in the city.In some of the smaller places in Sicily (my region )I know unofficial dual pricing exists…on the minor islands for example.
I have friends and family members on Lipari for example..if they go to a bar, they don’t pay the menu price, they pay less.
Local people couldn’t afford to pay the high menu prices on these small islands where almost every business relies on tourists.
No, this doesn’t really exist. It’s also forbidden to do this, and fines are pretty high for this, both B2B and B2C.
I don’t think it does, at least not in regular stores, museums, transportation etc. Maybe some small business services but that i can’t know.
And i don’t think tourist should pay other price than locals in any case
A few places in Central London eg Harrods will accept USD at a dreadful rate. So I guess that counts? But the list price in GBP is the same for all
Nope , or atleast not in the way u said it. Here it’s common in seaside towns that
It’ll have atleast 2 chippy’s, one that the locals go to which is just a small bar which is well priced and well portioned, then there’s another chippy which has seating which has tiny portions and ridiculous prices which tourists think is much better since it has seating so that’s they’re whole business is because they have seating they get customers
There’s the thing where you get 50% off all public transport with a subscription that costs very little but for which you need a local mailing address.
Very occasionally, and perhaps more commonly in the pre-Eurozone times, you’d see that in Cyprus too.
But nowadays, there’s the more universal and less controversial method: tourist areas have higher prices, and they would also affect locals if locals ever visited tourist areas (which they rarely do).
No that doesnt exist in that way. Maybe some discount programs are only available for Dutch residents. But its not like there are two prices, one for a local and another for a foreigner. I think this isnt even allowed.
I think that if we started charging tourists triple what we charge Norwegians, it might cause a slight drop in tourism to this country.
Not directly for sure, but places por tourists are usually more expensive, as they’re targeting a different audience.
No but tourist traps generally just have exorbitant prices for everyone. The locals just know not to go there.
Many bars and restaurants in cities on the coast do that, museums cannot do that.
The reply is simple, locals will not go pay the absurd amount of money they charge to tourist, and locals are often friends ( not so many people leave there ).
If you lost locals during the winter you still have to live there without any customer and the owners of other shops that will remember what you did.
It seems pretty OK to me, if I had a bar I will always make discount for friends and full price for strnagers.
I live up in lapland during the winter and in a way: yes. Most of the companies there give a -10% for everyone who lives there / is working there. The “supermarket” doesn’t do it, because that’d be bad. They have such a high prices that locals get their food items from elsewhere most of the time.
I don’t think it happens often but both in De and Ro +I’ve seen some times such a behaviour for tourist ( restaurant, buying from local, some taxis) but it’s not that widespread
A few years ago in Prague, some food stands in tourist areas listed the same food twice. Once in english and once in czech. The czech version of the same food was 3 times cheaper. E.g. Hot Dog – Parek v rohliku.
But I havent seen this practise in a while.
In Curaçao they definitely do. Prices in some places are in USD and Cg, and are the same, while the USD is worth about twice as much.
It is only the fact that the more touristy areas are expensive; and even then you may still find cheaper bars in those areas.
There may ocassionally be a menu item that only locals know about (I did only see that once, but it implies that it could exist elsewhere)
I grew up in an extremely touristy area and often tourists get better prices for example for public transport. Usually if they sign up via their hotel they’ll get really good deals while we have to pay ridiculously high prices.
It certainly doesn’t help the resentment that’s building and it’s noticeable in strikes, protests, and voting.
There’s are comparably few super rich hotel owners and then the rest of us mere mortals who don’t really profit much but have to deal with things like not even getting home from work on what’s supposed to be a twenty minute drive without two+ hours of traffic on the regular. All while tourists get by cheaper than us when it comes to transport and entry to many of our infrastructure etc.
I know of at least one store in the the touristy bit of Stockholm that advertises prices in SEK, EUR, and USD where the the USD price is more than the rest. I don’t think they actually use the USD price in practice, maybe if they try to pay in physical dollars as a build in fee.
In Austria we have relatively high prices for groceries compared to our bigger neighbour Germany.
We locals get 3-4 stickers for 25 % off every week together with the advertisements in our post box. The sticker can be put on almost any product and gives you a discount at the checkout. Most of the time the supermarket does not remove the sticker at the checkout and they tolerate, that you use the sticker again. – So using the discount stickers optimised, we pay 25 % less than tourists.
I think most European countries are too wealthy (yes, even Eastern European nowadays) and too well-regulated for this. Stuff like this is usual in countries where locals earn 10x less than the tourists so they wouldn’t afford it otherwise, and where it would be ridiculously cheap for tourists if they applied the local price.
We don’t have that in Sweden, and I feel it would be quite unethical, and would feel quite hostile towards tourism. In Sweden we generally don’t really have a problem with over-tourism. Rather, we still want to attract more international tourists, so that would be quite counterproductive.
The whole of Ireland has tourist prices applied to one and all. It’s killing tourism, and locals find it cheaper to fly away for a couple of days versus spend a couple of nights in a hotel in Ireland.
No, they just charge us locals the same ridiculous prices they charge tourists. Which is why we go to Spain, Italy and Greece for our vacations instead. It’s ultimately cheaper to get on a plane and travel to the other side of the continent.
Bulgaria, 2009-ish. I’ve worked at local sea resort and the prices didn’t have currency. It was in BGN for Bulgarians, then in euro for everybody else ( also USD for Americans were ok ). The currency exchange is ~ 2 BGN for 1 euro, so double for foreigners.
This was the least shady thing happening at this place.
No because it’s illegal in France (and I guess in a lot of countries in Europe). But what happens is that everything is more expensive in touristic areas and locals knows it, so they usually have their own cheaper spots away from touristic sites.
I grew up in Hannover, which, in the past, hosted large industrial fairs and exhibitions, increasing the population by 30% during one week.
During this time, a lot of venues in the centre had a 2nd menu with increased prices. If you asked a waiter if you wanted to pay the “normal price”, they would often let you…
Not really, no. Of course there’s stuff that is far more expensive because it’s catering towards tourists. Buying a coffee or going to a restaurant in a tourist hotspot us going to be pricey. But you wouldn’t pay less at those places if you’re a native. It’s an equal opportunities rip-off. Sane goes for a lot of the typical souvenir things. If you buy a random I love Berlin shirt you’re probably going to pay a lot for a relatively low quality item. But again, it’s not like there are secret places where Germans could buy touristy knickknacks on the cheap. And then there’s things that are considered typically German,but which nobody here actually buys or owns. Think of beer steins, cuckoo clocks and lederhosen (especially anywhere outside Bavaria). Those are basically just marketed towards tourists and priced accordingly.
Yeah with some atractions. I don’t see a lot of different prices for tourists VS locals. Here’s it’s more that locals know where people is being ripped off (tourisc areas) and just don’t go there. But if we decide to go, they will rip us off the same.
I don’t think so. Of course, I cannot visit my own country as a tourist, maybe if I did a good job of pretending, which could be a fun experiment. But I genuinely think stuff like this might only happen in some shady taxis you call on the roadside. And to combat that there are taxi apps where you get to know the fare beforehand.
Tourism is not as huge as in other european countries and there aren’t many places you could consider “tourist traps”, i think in most establishments you’d rather just encounter a welcoming attitude just because someone foreign visiting is not that common.
In Switzerland it can be that residents of certain villages get reduced fares for ski or pool passes.
I find this fair, as these places are subsidised by taxes that only the locals pay.
Most places where I’ve seen this implemented officially have always felt like a rip off. While I understand that the local people don’t have the same purchasing power, the prices are often 5+ times more expensive. But what annoys me more is that you get nothing for paying that high price. No signs in English or other languages, no audioguide, not even a pamphlet. Because in addition to paying the exorbitant entrance price they want to force you to hire a guide. Who will take you to some stands where you can waste more of your money.
I like how Japan does it, because translating text obviously does come with a cost. Here everyone pays the same price (except kids and so on) but the information is mostly in Japanese. You can however almost always buy an audioguide, not just in English but in multiple languages, making it even more fair as not everyone speaks English.
I don’t believe it exists anymore here. When I was a child, some places (such as the national museum) had lower or no rates for entry for residents of Denmark. I haven’t seen that in ages. I have never seen it in the hospitality sector
I have seen entry price differences recently in Italy (and potentially transportation discounts as well, but I don’t know if I read the sign correctly, so I can’t say 100%).
I don’t believe I have experienced direct charges for being a tourist in hospitality abroad (at least not to my knowledge, lol). But I have seen prices in some places for on-site being almost triple the takeaway price without that being explicitly stated. Even if it had been, I’d say that was a bit of a ripoff. It is one thing to give a small symbolic discount for takeaway, but another to raise the prices so drastically for daring to sit down
For stuff like transportation or cultural sites, I can see some arguments for it, even if I am not a big fan of that practice. But I see nothing beyond greed, when it comes to hospitality, and needless to say that isn’t a valid reason
No, there is equality for all in Ireland our vendors, shopkeepers, even our scam artists like taking euros of everyone with equal greed.
In the European Union, it’s illegal to charge a different price to people of a different EU country. At most, museums, universities, etc can charge a lower price to “residents” which includes anyone legally living in the country.
In Portugal, all cafés and restaurants are required to have their prices visible, so they won’t charge more, but they might give discounts to regular clients if they feel like it.
In Brugge Belgium I know of 2 frituurs ( fries and fried snacks) that give 10% discount to locals. I thinks it fucking sucks actually and won’t give them my custom. Fuck discrimination!
In the Netherlands, not officially but if you are a resident, you have access to a lot of discounts the tourists don’t have. Most public transit has laughably affordable discounts that significantly cuts the price to use those services. There is the MuseumKaart (or just the lottery) that gives you free access to most museums in the country for €160 a year.
This may be completely normal but living here is the first time I have truly taken advantage. I also think I have gotten ripped off when it comes to services done at my house because I don’t speak the language.
The same shop charges the same price for everyone, however shops, cafés etc. in touristy areas are often more expensive than those 1 or 2 blocks away.
I have seen somewhat frequent museums/art shows to be free to visit like 1 evening a week or even like 1 day a month. So if you are a local, you can plan ahead to visit on those days. Tourists are also free to enter then but tourists can not really plan around that.
Not a thing in Lithuania, as far as I know. All prices are listed so the merchants can’t change them based on who’s buying.
I’ve been to Egypt, no small store lists their prices so it changes all the time.
In Turkey yes, both in ”official” places like museums, and by overcharging tourists left right and centre. Considering the insane wealth gap between native citizens and foreign tourists, and our spectacularly failing economy, I cant say I blame anyone for trying to get a few more euros out of a European or American visitor.
Cy/EU don’t go anywhere near tourist areas and your fine insist on seeing prices before you buy and insist. Government controlled archeology sites are usually only 1 EU to enter and very good snack prices. Recently water bottle prices all over the island have been Regulated to 60 cent per 500ml (may become less) because of the hikes.
It depends on the city, in my town, Oostende, they charge less for locals in the swimingpool or community museums, but that’s it. No difference between Belgian or international tourists.
In Belgium in 99% of the cases I think not. Prices in bars, shops and restaurants in touristic locations can be higher, but in general not for tourists exclusively.
Maybe taxis rip off tourists sometimes, but even if you pay the regular rate it already feels like a rip off. Taxis are insanely expensive here. To be honest I even think it is illegal in Belgium to apply double tier pricing.
The only place I’m aware of, near me, at least, is Salisbury cathedral. It’s free to locals who are in a certain postcode range. Everyone else has to pay, and it’s not that cheap.
A market trader in Tunis once told me his goods had 2 tourist prices: one price for French tourists, and a higher price for Americans.
He sized up whether a foreigner was French or American by how fat they were.
Switzerland does this for public transport: most people buy an annual “half fare card” for 170 francs, which halves the price of most public transport. So occasional travellers pay a lot more. There is a tourist version for one month, but it costs 120 francs. It’s a similar situation for roads: to drive on motorways you need a “vignette” that costs 40 francs and is valid for one calendar year. No option to buy one with a shorter validity period.
I don’t think that happens here in Luxembourg where I currently live, but it certainly happens all the time in Thailand and I find it both disgusting and racist!
On a surface level it feels unfair and it definitely complicates things a lot for people who may travel on a budget which is a bit unfair. But overtourism is destructive to areas that suffer from it and some sort of measure has to curb it. In the majority of cases people travel to “poorer” countries than their own for obvious reasons. Charging them a somewhat proportional amount similar to how much more money they make than locals is not exactly the end of the world.
However I do feel it’s an overall poorly thought out measure that affects negatively a lot of people who are not part of the problem while it only slightly inconveniences people who are the problem.
No that is literally illegal. Even museums have one flat fee for basic adult and family tickets for everyone. All shops and restaurants must price their items visibly, you know how much an item costs before you take it off the shelf, it’s not the shopkeeper or waiter bluffing something right before you pay. That sounds incredibly weird and backwards.
Finland no. I’ve seen this especially in Turkey and Hungary.
One way of doing this is adding a service fee to the tourist’s bill. In some places you need a loyalty card almost everywhere to get sometimes significantly lower prices.
Not in Sweden. A lot of European countries with super heavy tourism, like parts of Spain, Paris, Venice and the Greek islands probably should. Sliding scale? I think for coastal places especially the cruise ships are a heavy load most think they might as.well go without.
*shedding feta infused tears of laughter. That’s extremely common in large Greek islands. They even have separate menus.
Not my country but my parents retired to turkey. they do have residents prices and tourism prices in most of the bars and restaurants
I would say, no in Spain.
But touristy areas have higher prices, those prices are paid by locals that want to consume there aswell, but locals avoid those places, not only for the price.
Also museums, castles and stuff related with history or heritage might have a reduced price or just be free of charge for local people, by local I mean people from the same province or autonomous community, as is understood that people shouldn’t pay to visit or learn about their own heritage(it depends a lot on politicians this) but the rest of the people of the country pay the same price as tourists.
At a small airport in Spain I was behind a fellow Brit who ordered 2 large beers. He received them and paid. I asked for “Dos cervezas grandes por favor.” I got 2 larger beers than him for the same price…
The look on his face was priceless! I just wanted to practice my Spanish 😂
No, in my country there are places only for foreigners with bad food, expensive food and service of dubious quality and places for local people with good prices, good quality and good service.
Haven’t encountered that, ever, but living in one of the most touristic streets of paris I kind of with they wouldn’t charge me 5€ for a double espresso….
Cafes, restaurants and brick-and-mortar stores, usually no. Online stores however, especially travel agencies and hotel booking sites, may have different rates depending on a) from where you access them and b) what technology you are using (desktop browser/mobile browser/app, or iOS/Android)