Zoo Negara Zoo Negara pricing policy

[Ned]

I was checking out the entrance fee for Zoo Negara and found they have three prices (concessions aside) Local, Asian and Foreign, needless to say local is cheapest Foreign most expensive. Although I understand the logic behind this with average wages in Europe or the US being higher than in Asian countries, I have to say it seems a little discriminatory, racist even.
If you come from a wealthier Asian country, Japan or Singapore maybe, do you still get a discount? And what if you are English but of Asian heritage? While I think lower prices for those on a lower income is a good thing I don't think a policy that leaves people feeling discriminated against its a good one.

 

[Chlidonias]

It's quite common in Asia to have a substantial difference in foreigner versus local price at the zoos (and elsewhere, e.g. National Parks). In some of the countries, such as Thailand, resident foreigners can get the local price (or at least a cheaper version of the foreigner price). Quite often the local price is promoted in the local language and the foreigner price in English, so the tourists don't even know there is a difference.

To take your questions for Zoo Negara specifically, if you were Malaysian you would pay the local price of 44 Ringgits, if you were from Singapore you would pay the ASEAN price of 63 Ringgits, if you were from Japan you would pay the foreigner price of 85 Ringgits (Japan isn't an ASEAN country). If you were English but looked Malaysian you could get in for the local price if they didn't ask for your identity card.

 

[FunkyGibbon]

It's just a reflection of the way the world is. As long as the institutions are 'good' I have no problem with it. If the local median income is very low you still want local people to be able to enjoy local attractions, so that necessitates a very low price. You could argue that everyone should just pay that price, and Negara is a bad example because all of the prices Chli quotes are on the expensive side, but in general you end up with local prices of under £1 and it seems churlish to argue that foreigners who can afford to fly long-haul to Asia shouldn't put more into the local economy than that.
You are almost certainly right though, that most of the time this kind of thing will be based on what you look like, which isn't great.

 

[Chlidonias]

...Negara is a bad example because all of the prices Chli quotes are on the expensive side, but in general you end up with local prices of under £1 and it seems churlish to argue that foreigners who can afford to fly long-haul to Asia shouldn't put more into the local economy than that.

For the benefit of others (to save them googling), Zoo Negara's local price of 44 Ringgits is about £8 or €9 or US$11. Just double that for the foreigner price (roughly £16 or €18 or US$22). It is really expensive compared to most zoos in Asia. As a comparison, the Dusit Zoo in Bangkok (Thailand) is 100 Baht for foreigners, which is about £2 or €2.5 or US$3

Aquariums are often very expensive however. The foreigner price for the SEA LIFE Centre in Bangkok is about £22 or €25 or US$31.

 

[MRJ]

it seems churlish to argue that foreigners who can afford to fly long-haul to Asia shouldn't put more into the local economy than that.

We tried to limit our concessions to Australian concession card holders on the basis that if you flew here you really did not need a concession. After dealing with all the strife from British seniors, in particular, we decided to cut the concession and open it up to all comers.

 

[FunkyGibbon]

We tried to limit our concessions to Australian concession card holders on the basis that if you flew here you really did not need a concession. After dealing with all the strife from British seniors, in particular, we decided to cut the concession and open it up to all comers.

Hell hath no fury like an OAP scorned.