Tourist Traps

Ryan754326 · Post by **Ryan754326** » Sat Mar 23, 2024 8:23 am

stevenjb wrote: ↑Sat Mar 23, 2024 1:48 am What qualifies as a tourist trap; bright shiny lights, poor food, skimpy dressed ladies hanging outside?

A tourist trap is a service or venue that takes advantage of the fact that many tourists don’t know how much things should cost. If these fancy restaurants were charging tourists double what they would charge a local customer, then you could call them tourist traps, but Cambodians have to pay the same inflated prices as everyone else does, so they don’t qualify.

Examples of tourist traps would be things like a market in the tourist area, where T shirts cost 5 times as much as any other market in town, or shoe shiners who demand more for 5 minutes of work than an average Cambodian would earn in a day, and then get aggressive when the customer questions the price.
No Cambodian is going to pay $15 for an Ankor beer shirt, or 20,000 riel for a shoe shine, or $50 for a ride to the killing fields and back, but some tourists will, because they don’t know any better.

Stravaiger · Post by **Stravaiger** » Sat Mar 23, 2024 9:55 am

Ryan754326 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 23, 2024 8:23 am
stevenjb wrote: ↑Sat Mar 23, 2024 1:48 am What qualifies as a tourist trap; bright shiny lights, poor food, skimpy dressed ladies hanging outside?
A tourist trap is a service or venue that takes advantage of the fact that many tourists don’t know how much things should cost. If these fancy restaurants were charging tourists double what they would charge a local customer, then you could call them tourist traps, but Cambodians have to pay the same inflated prices as everyone else does, so they don’t qualify.

I don't think that double pricing is a quality of tourist traps.

Classic examples would be vendors anywhere who have the sole concession at historical sites.

But the preeminent tourist traps nowadays are the f&b concessions in airports. Lonely Planeteers may prefer the term 'traveller traps' as not everyone who travels by air is on holiday, but all face the same price-gouging.

Also, tourist traps are usually marked not only by higher prices but by poor quality and disrespectful service.

phuketrichard · Post by **phuketrichard** » Sat Mar 23, 2024 10:06 am

would duty free goods classify as "tourist traps"
as although they truly are duty free, the rent is so high, the costs are often the same as buying in town in many countries.

Thailand has loads of tourist traps , many of them are the national parks, temples, buildings, where there is one charge for locals ( in Thai)
and one for non thai's, ( in english)

ItWasntMe · Post by **ItWasntMe** » Sat Mar 23, 2024 10:18 am

the $2-$3 beerlao in western restaurants is borderline tourist trap in my view.

sure the extra $1-$2 won't break anyones budget, but it's one of those things where tourists often won't realize that all shit beer has the same price in the store but the markup is different to create the impression of different quality beer.

Alex · Post by **Alex** » Sat Mar 23, 2024 10:23 am

phuketrichard wrote: ↑Sat Mar 23, 2024 10:06 am Thailand has loads of tourist traps , many of them are the national parks, temples, buildings, where there is one charge for locals ( in Thai)
and one for non thai's, ( in english)

How's that a "tourist trap"? A 200 baht national park entrance fee lol.

Ryan754326 · Post by **Ryan754326** » Sat Mar 23, 2024 2:18 pm

Stravaiger wrote: ↑Sat Mar 23, 2024 9:55 am
I don't think that double pricing is a quality of tourist traps.

Classic examples would be vendors anywhere who have the sole concession at historical sites.

But the preeminent tourist traps nowadays are the f&b concessions in airports. Lonely Planeteers may prefer the term 'traveller traps' as not everyone who travels by air is on holiday, but all face the same price-gouging.

Also, tourist traps are usually marked not only by higher prices but by poor quality and disrespectful service.

Airport concession prices are at least consistent, no matter who is buying the food, and the prices are displayed clearly.

If someone wants a tuk tuk ride from the riverside to the airport, and they don’t know how to use pass or grab, the average driver on the street is going to try to squeeze at least $10 out of them. Cambodians would know that it’s too much, but for people who might pay $50 for that ride in their home country, and don’t know the local prices, it seems reasonable enough. These are the type of tourists that the traps are waiting for.

Bongmab69 · Post by **Bongmab69** » Sat Mar 23, 2024 5:52 pm

phuketrichard wrote: ↑Sat Mar 23, 2024 10:06 am would duty free goods classify as "tourist traps"
as although they truly are duty free, the rent is so high, the costs are often the same as buying in town in many countries.

Thailand has loads of tourist traps , many of them are the national parks, temples, buildings, where there is one charge for locals ( in Thai)
and one for non thai's, ( in english)

Marlboro at phnom penh airport duty free shop is 28 dollar.
On the street in Daun Penh you pay 16 dollar !!

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