Imagine this...
You go to a monument somewhere in India and go to the ticket counter...
There are two windows there... which read
Indians : Rs. 20
Foreigners : Rs 250
I would not be very happy to read this... not that i don't want India to earn more money... not that I did not feel awkward when the foreigner had to pay in $s, but right now its going to be a oranges to oranges differences in the ticket prices... it feels a li'il more embarrasing somehow...
When I was showing a german friend around Delhi a few years back... it was kind hard answering the questions that she asked about why foreigners have to shell out more money than Indians at so many places? do you have an answer to that, something that I can give to people who ask me about travelling to India and visiting all the grand monuments that we have.
Also thing like these, also, in a way encourage the street shop owners to charge the tourists more that the actual price of the stuff they are selling? Something that most of the tourists label as cheating?
Indian authorities have now decided that tourists should now pay in INR instead of $s because the value of rupee is increasing against the $...
Read more about it here.
I wonder how it would be when I have to pay £20 for entry to a museum when someone in the UK pays £2... i guess I would never be able to visit anything...
You go to a monument somewhere in India and go to the ticket counter...
There are two windows there... which read
Indians : Rs. 20
Foreigners : Rs 250
I would not be very happy to read this... not that i don't want India to earn more money... not that I did not feel awkward when the foreigner had to pay in $s, but right now its going to be a oranges to oranges differences in the ticket prices... it feels a li'il more embarrasing somehow...
When I was showing a german friend around Delhi a few years back... it was kind hard answering the questions that she asked about why foreigners have to shell out more money than Indians at so many places? do you have an answer to that, something that I can give to people who ask me about travelling to India and visiting all the grand monuments that we have.
Also thing like these, also, in a way encourage the street shop owners to charge the tourists more that the actual price of the stuff they are selling? Something that most of the tourists label as cheating?
Indian authorities have now decided that tourists should now pay in INR instead of $s because the value of rupee is increasing against the $...
Read more about it here.
I wonder how it would be when I have to pay £20 for entry to a museum when someone in the UK pays £2... i guess I would never be able to visit anything...
Its even more senseless when people from South-east Asia and countries with "weaker" economies than India such as Srilanka, Bangladesh etc are also charged higher entry tickets under the "Foreigner category"!!
ReplyDeleteWhile the Western tourist, with stronger currencies [Euros, Dollars etc etc], may still be able to make do with the difference and savour Taj.. for the eastern tourist [not including stronger economies] - spending INR. 750 [which costs them even higher in their own currency] is surely killing!!
Not fair - definately!!
Cheers,
B
I guess its a tough decision to make...
ReplyDeletebut to charge higher is something that I am not really happy about...
I don't know if anywhere else this happens... do you?
Shoooottttt 20 sterling pounds!!!! The thought in itself is killing!
ReplyDeleteIt does.. hai na !!!
ReplyDeletea billion dollar thought. It is absolutely unfair for them. Yet I will just leave it at a thought that it is the privilege we get for being Indians, with not too many already in the kitty.
ReplyDeleteOnsite trip is doing good to your grey matter, Om.
yaar, if we make the tickets 250 for all, that would be best, less people will visit the place, the neater they stay, and good for all...But the poor kids then would never get to see the Taj Mahal...So we make it 10 Rs for all, but then the loads of money is spent in maintaining these places, wo kahan se aayegi?? All from tax payers?
ReplyDeleteI really dont think that 8-10$ is a big deal, which Americans/Europeans cry on when they visit India..Bloody u waste 4$ on a starbucks coffee,,,the beggar takes 2$,,and u tip the waiter that much after a good family meal.
People from weaker economies whi visit india are affluent and have the moolah, so its fine if they also pay a higher entry fee..
@ That was it..
ReplyDeleteyea..
@ Ankur..
i am not talking about the absolute amount... but about the difference in price for someone who is a foreigner and someone who is an indian... I have not really seen that difference anywhere...
when you say that $8-$10 is no big deal... i must admit that you need to think about it again... almost all the people that i know in the UK do think that every pound spent is worth a lot... how else do you explain the bigger shopping baskets at cheaper malls as compared to the more expensive ones?
and there is a difference in the practice being followed and the rules... if you don't want to tip the money, don't... be prepared for those looks after it though.. probably because that the culture there..
but where does the way of living say that charge higher when its a foreigner?
I agree with what you said here. It is embarassing, but then there are things in foriegn countries which are unfair as well, like paying ten times higher fee for the same education than a local student.
ReplyDelete# Abhi..
ReplyDeleteoh is it?
hmm... i am thinking now !