How greedy can they get?.

Brisso

I have been in shops in Calangute where Euro package folks were 'disposing' of their rupees because flying out that day. Handfuls of 500's being shovelled over - "Oh, yes and 3 pairs of those sunglasses, and those bags - yes, two of those please. What about the lipsticks, yes 6 please".

Leads to an inflationary environment in that particular sector.

goangoangone

We nicknamed a friend who came here for the first time, scattercash.

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Cayle

Since 500RS is about €8, what you are likely seeing the the currency distorsion effect. Those same tourists would not just throw around €10 notes back at home, but they just don't have a feel for how much they are spending.

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capt_mahajan

Sounds like sailors on shore leave.

Across the world, dingy pubs near ports, and in seedy areas, charge as much for a drink as upmarket watering holes in downtown areas. Same principle.

crvlvr

The last 2 posts pretty much answers the question posed in the title of this thread "How greedy can they get?"

goangoangone

Off topic maybe, but someone was referring to numbers of visitors being down. This was in yesterday's Herald,

http://oheraldo.in/pagedetails.asp?nid=7958&cid=2

capt_mahajan

Taxes etc in the article aside, Goa is far from the only tourist spot in India (or even worldwide) which is either seasonal or hit by global and domestic slowdown.

Even within India, hill areas etc have largely seasonal tourism

Folks in the business in Goa needs to manage this seasonality and periodic slowdowns, same as everybody else.

Maybe overcharging tourists is part of this management

skk

True enough, but things are definitely changing. 30 years ago, the hotel my uncle owned in Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra would shut down over monsoon - he told me tales of how they "monsoon-proofed" it and the cleanup/dryup effort lasting a week or more that they undertook after the end of monsoon.

No more - his son now runs the place year round.

Sad really but so it goes.

-K

capt_mahajan

Yes, partly true for the northern himalaya too, but not all of it; some of it is unreachable, or not easily, in winter.

Worldwide, on season and off season rates address seasonality. I am sure a lot of associated services are cheaper off season, besides hotels and flight tickets.

Places which regularly overcharge foreign tourists, and actively discourage domestic tourists (at least while the going is good) not only will suffer in the end, they should suffer. So I, at least, don't shed too many tears for the part of the tourist industry in Goa which does so. Or, indeed, for people who willingly pay these high prices and then complain.

snowcrab

Yeah, those guys in Goa really need Indian tourists to whip them into shape, they are getting right over the top with us softy foreigners. Another place that merchants really cry the blues about Indian tourists and complain about how much they miss those free spending westerners is in Kashmir. We are pretty much a drug on any local economy, like a massive sugar rush, but the withdrawal pangs are pretty fierce.

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*jyoti*

So true! I bought several things my first few weeks in India, got them hope, and then properly realized how much I'd just spent. $5?? For Peanut Butter!! Aack!

Cayle

Been there, done that, pretty much stay away from imported western goods now.

...back to the topic...

carlaeb

In a way I understand what you mean, if you are earning rupees. But keep in mind that the meal you mentioned is only 5 dollars or 3 pounds (with the beer). That's the price of an expensive coffee drink in the West, and tourists obviously have disposable incomes or else they wouldn't be in Goa in the first place. In the US, even minimum wage earners make 5 dollars in less than an hour.

Budget travelers know better than to go to those places unless they really want to enjoy the view, in which case they CHOOSE to pay that much. Indian tourists are usually willing to spend more money on vacation than they would in regular life- and anyway, compared to what people pay for packaged tours and stays at the resorts, this beach shack is super cheap.

When you think about it that way, it makes perfect sense for the shack owner to charge that much. He is in business to make money, so there are people who are willing to pay. Why in the world would any businessman voluntarily charge LESS when people are willing to pay more? That would just be stupid.

If you are living there and earning rupees or traveling on a budget, you can go eat at cheaper places. There are restaurants all across the economic spectrum. And if you really claim that you are living on an Indian budget, do what the INdians do and eat at home most of the time.

Those of you who are concerned about inflation, this is a serious matter. But I think your focus is misdirected. Food prices have doubled in the last year- even in the market and from the vendors. This is affecting everyone, not just people with the disposable income to travel and eat out. I really need to learn about this situation as it is happening all over the world. I have to admit that I don't understand it very well. Any suggestions?

stevebenaulim

Im not on an Indian budget, even though there are some rich Indians these days.
Living in Goa as a long termer, i just know prices.
I no longer convert back to, western prices.
I use a shack, which in my opinion, very good.
Aloo Gobi 45rp plain rice 25rp, small kings 25rp.
Sure shacks can hammer tourists all they want, but us
long termers know prices.
And believe me, these dearer shacks, pay the out of state waiters the same as normal shacks.
I went into a Barber in Callangute a few years ago, asked, how much for a shave, 80rp, i laughed, a British tourist said thats only a pound.
I get a shave in Margao or most Indian citys for 10rp, i give them 15rp. In Varanasi i got a shave for 5 rp.
Thx

carlaeb

QUOTE=Cayle:
"As a foreigner, I’ll offer a counter argument to Poni’s point. It is not about flaunting wealth. It is about not wanting to “be a cheapskate” with a poor (not as poor as a beggar or coolie, but still poor) person. I’ve bargained over that last ten rupees with auto drivers before. Afterwards, it made me want to shower."

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Yes I feel this way too. I bargain (well, I get my husband to do it) until we come down to a reasonable price. Then over that last two dozen rupees, I don't really care. When it comes down to it, I'm not going to argue over 50 cents. It makes me feel like a penny-pinching greedy materialist, and I figure that this is how the vendor makes his money. That fifty cents is probably going to mean more to him than to me.

That said, when I was living in Central America and earning local currency and paying local bills, I always demanded local prices- and I fought over every cent. But now I'm older, have more money, earn in dollars- It's frankly not worth the hassle to fight every time I want something. So long as I pay a reasonable price, I don't mind paying slightly more than what locals would pay. Perhaps that is flaunting wealth, but that is not the intention.

I was a waitress when I was younger in a nice pub where rich people sometimes visited. Some of them ran you around and treated you like a servant, then left a big tip. I would have preferred they keep their money and take their business elsewhere. I felt like their money was insulting- they were flaunting their wealth. But other rich folks came in and had a lot of fun, chatted with everyone, behaved like normal customers, polite and friendly. When they left a big tip, it seemed like they were just genuinely nice folks who were showing appreciation for a service and paying slightly more because they could afford it. It did not feel like an insult at all.

My point is, I think it is about your attitude. You shouldn't sling money around for a million foolish reasons, but I see nothing wrong with accepting the fact that you obviously have more resources- the vendors know that. This goes for middle class Indians as well, not just foreign tourists.