Tit-for-tat policies and other ramblings

The Argentinean government has a beef with us Canadians. It also has a beef with Americans and Australians.

When we entered the country on July 1^st, I had to pay $75 USD to get a visa while Ania had to pay nothing. Why? Because Canada has a visa in place for Argentinians to slow the flow of refugees from the country. Argentina finds this belittling. That’s why it has put in place a tit-for-tat policy: you have a visa for our nationals; we’ll have one for yours.

Of course the irony is that there are no Australian, American or Canadian citizens living illegally in Argentina or wanting to enter illegally. That’s the whole difference. But this important distinction does not bother the Argentinean government. It is called hubris.

Please don’t misunderstand me: I love Argentina. We are having a fabulous time over here. But it now clear that the Argentinean government has enacted policies that somehow make me think of another country whose policies haven’t impressed me much: New Zealand.

It is called Milking the Cow. Of course tourists are the cows.

Take the entrance fee at Perito Moreno Glacier national Park. It costs us $25 to enter the park. How much does it cost an Argentinean national? A measly $2.5.

The same double pricing is applied to Talampaya National Park, Valle de la Luna, and pretty much all other parks in the country. Even worse, expensive tours are sometimes required to see the attractions. There is a well-defined path going through Valle de la Luna but one can’t drive alone there. One needs to follow a “guide” through the circular path. Milk ‘em all you can.

Now Ania has given a very convincing defense of double pricing with Prague as an example. In Prague a tourist (non-Czech speaking tourist) will pay $4 for a beer in the old town square A Czech will be able to order the same beer for much less than $4. Ania’s argument goes like this: if double pricing is not allowed, Czechs will not be able to drink beer anywhere in downtown Prague as the prices will be too expensive for them. Locals being priced out of their own city. Hmm. Her argument makes sense.

I am willing to buy her argument and give the Argentinean government the benefit of the doubt – although any tourist ticket priced at 10 times the normal price is probably an exaggeration.

During our trip to Talampaya National Park we discussed this matter with our French friends. For them this was nothing surprising. They told us that the famous château de Versailles in France has similar pricing for tourists versus French nationals. According to them there is nothing wrong with this policy since French taxpayers end up paying for the maintenance of the building and so on.

Wait a minute. So tourists wear down the infrastructure and they don’t pay for it? I disagree strongly.

When was the last time a tourist was been able to land in Paris early in the morning, visit the château de Versailles during the day and catch a flight home before night time? Never heard that story? Me neither. What happens is that tourists have to stay in overpriced hotels and eat at pricey restaurants in Paris. That, my friends, is where tourists pay their fair share. And some more.

Then I think about Canada, Australia, and the United States, which often have stellar attractions and great facilities in national parks available for pocket money. And more importantly, the pricing is the same for everyone – black, white, Chinese, Indu, French, or Canadian.

Now this leads me to my conclusion. Canada (Australia and the U.S. as well) is probably getting the short end of the stick.

“Welcome to Niagara Falls, Mister Jean Leroy. Since you are a French national the entrance fee to Niagara Falls is 20$. Enjoy your visit”

Why not? Aren’t the throngs of tourists making the lives of the locals in Niagara Falls miserable in summer time? And they are using a lot of infrastructure for which they pay nothing. Nada. Zilch.

I always thought that entrance to parks and other attractions should be the same for everybody. But after having traveled in many countries it is crystal clear when I am treated as a guest and when I am treated as a cash cow.

Maybe we should change all that and put in place tit-for-tat policies. Maybe we should.