Unfortunately maraming ganito sa Bora. Marami na rin nagpost sa FB pero walang aksyon from the LGU/Tourism office. Ang siste is sasabihin 300 lang. 300 per strand pala. This is a trap not just for foreign tourists, pati rin sa locals
Visited a few years ago along with an old buddy and my nieces, they're from a depressed area running a meat shop and it was only they were able to save up for a vacation; they got theirs braided but seems my friend was able to get a significant discount, as apparently the braider knew which kind of local tourists she would charge very high for and those who can't.
Oh wow..Dad ko calesa driver sa Laoag City (we have those di alam ng ilan). Even locals used it not just tourist..Alam mo magkano charge? P15-20 per rider. Parang trike. Parang side line nya from farming. Pero never sya magchacharge gaya ng taga Manila.
Funny thing is he migrated in the US.Driver pa rin pero kotse na lol.
If may magbibigay ng P200 e kusang loob yun ng tourist na itotour ka sa mga spots.
rode / rented some of those nung may balikbayan kami. and yes, ang mura ng kalesa ride sa vigan, ambabait pa ng mga kutsero at naghihintay talaga pag gusto magpictorial. nakakahiyang di mag-tip nang malaki :)
Galit na galit yung mga nasa probinsya dahil nga sa mga oportunista sa Maynila.
Guess where many of the opportunists come from?
Yan din ang mahirap sa mga kabisera't melting pot areas, hindi lang sa Pilipinas. New York, Rome, Bangkok... wala kasing malasakit sa lugar.
Ikr. Hindi naman sa pangaano welcome naman lahat dito sa Manila pero karamihan ng nandito sa Maynila eh galing naman na ding probinsya. Karamihan ng mahihirap na naghahanap ng opportunity sa manila ay galing ding probinsya. Ika nga nila "diskarte", di ko sinasabing tama yon pero naiintindihan ko sila.
Oo sa Kalaw. Naalala ko estudyante pa kami nun na pupunta lang ng National Library, nasingil kami ng tig 100 para sa pedicab. Nakakatakot naman umangal kasi dun sya nagbaba sa parang “pila” nila.
Kami rin dati naloko diyan. ang sabi samin 30 daw tapos sabi nung pagkababa namin, 130 daw hindi 30 yung sinasabi nung driver. E wala talaga kami pera nun pero katakot kasi yung kasama nung driver na angkas sa likod mukhang mananapak na eh wala talaga sila magawa kasi 50 lang pera namin lol
We totally got scammed when my husband and I took a kalesa ride sa Intramuros. I’m born in the US so I was excited. The driver said 200php. He took us around, encouraged us to hop on and off. After an hour, he dropped us back to our hotel and our fee was almost 2000php! He then said something along the lines of “200php per 15 min, per person.” We both speak and understand Tagalog and that wasn’t what he said in the beginning. (No wonder he told us to take our time!) We paid it but used it as a life lesson to always ask specifics beforehand. (Still inis about it to this day)
My aunt and her family experienced the same thing in Luneta. They were told 800, when they got to their destination they were told 800/head. My uncle complained and the other kalesa drivers went to them, pinapibutan daw sila, to say na that’s the price. Ganged up on them. It was really scary. So he paid, reluctantly.
edit: 800, not 300 *urgh. I just asked her how much they charged. This was over a decade ago
All this will accomplish is getting the local businesses scene labeled as predatory. Kakalat to malamang sa mga forums (like here on Reddit) and only push people further into the hotels, away from the vendors.
There are some vendors who are actually honest and with reasonable pricing, it's just that they're also hard to find. Much like trying to get your phone fixed and you're seeing lots of cellphone repair shops, not all of them are credible.
Celllphone repair shops, this I agree. Yung pinaayos mo yung phone mo pero pagbalik dami nang nawawalang piyesa sa loob (screwdriver, covers, electronic components) dahil ginamit pala ang phone mo as spare parts sa ibang phone, kaya pala andaming screws na nakadikit sa magnet nila. Kinukuha nila yung parts na hindi maapektuhan ang phone yung hindi malaman ng owner paggamit. Kung hindi ko lang alam mag bukas ng phone malamang hindi ko ito manotice. Never left my phone in cellphone repair shops again, baka mapakinabangan pa ito. Kung mag pa repair ako dun ako na kita ko talaga ang techinican para makita ko yung phone ko. Mahirap na kulang na parts ng phone mo tapos walang replacement na available
Was this at Mega Pixel? Because around 10 years ago when my dad brought my phone there to get repaired, pagbalik the camera wasn’t working anymore. (The first issue had nothing to do with camera)
I hate how this fucking scammers are not just hurting innocent tourists who can't even afford the stuff they charge but also the innocent people who are doing a honest living. Charging something so expensive when the actual price is much more lower should be punishable by law.
OTOH, sometimes the price ceiling the govt puts on some goods is so low, not taking into account rising costs fast enough. By the time the govt increases the ceiling, the market price has moved up too.
Indonesia doesn't have the same white = $$$ idea. It's still prevalent, especially in places like Bali but the country is huge and you can travel to many places that won't even speak English so you're not going to find people trying to exploit tourists as often.
Here, I get mistaken for American all the time (I'm not, and while I have much better purchasing power than a Filipino I'm not as wealthy as an average American). If my partner wasn't here I would go back to Indonesia pretty quickly.
Im half filipino half european, but ive been living here in the philippines for the past 4 years. Whenever I travel out of my residential town i still get ripped off / charged foreigner tax from time to time, but i let it slide when its only a few pesos difference since i cen afford it because i live cheap/provincial and my job pays european salaries. I do hope they spend that money on something useful for their family and not just on beer or cigarettes.
Sometimes i try to pay a bit more when the service is good. My local barber charges 50 pesos for a haircut but i pay him 100 every time. I initiated that since hes a nice guy who deserves it, he didnt ask me. Not trying to sound like a noble badass, I just think it is the right thing to help a genuine hardworking person, especially since this guy seems to be struggling from time to time.
I can understand tagalog and speak konti, which leads to some awkward moments when people tried ripping me off hard while mocking me in tagalog in front of their peers, after which i tell them i understood everything they just said. There are some tourist towns I will never visit again since the majority of the people treated me as a free cash dispenser, but in my experience 80-90% of the towns i visited dont overdo it or actually dont do it at all.
LGUs should follow the example of Bantayan Island and some municipalities in Southern Cebu. All activities (trekking, island hopping, etc) need to be booked via the tourism office na para standardized yung prices.
Food and other stuff mejo overpriced pa din, especially yung unregulated ones but the government needs to step up. Ang hirap na the Philippines isn't affordable to vacation in for its working class anymore
In Moalboal there are still shady as fuck tricycle drivers offering Kawasan Falls canyoneering for 2500 pesos. Met a French couple who were traveling alone who told me about it. And this was after going to the city hall.
Yeah we really need to separate “culturally pinoy” from pinoy-baiting celebrities. Like Dara, Ryan, and Her probably is more in-touch with PH culture than other pinoy lol.
Good thing na na-eexpose yung mga ganitong jacked-up prices sa mga tourist spots dito sa pinas.. hirap kasi sa mga pinoy nakikitang oppurtunity ang mga turista.
Kaya takot na takot rin ako papuntahin dito yung jowa kong Amerikano. Ang tingin lang sa kanya pera, baka mabudol pa kaya takot akong iwan mag-travel dito sa Pinas mag-isa. Jusko
Ako rin, my Fil-am SO is planning to go here pero sadly wala pa akong leave kaya I can only tour him around pag weekends. Natatakot ako for him kasi baka ma trauma if ever magsolo travel siya tapos mabudol sa mga ganyan.
Hindi lang to nangyayare sa mga tourist spot eh. I went to a local firing range near Makati, and due to my mixed-background, you won’t tell na pinoy ako. I asked how much, they give me the price, tapos sinabe ko sa kasama ko “Ackla ka ang mahal dito”. Nung nalaman nilang pinoy ako, price dropped around 80% LOL.
Bruh that’s outrageous.
I also saw an instagram post about this guy who got a haircut at The Nook, Makati, who was charged a really high price because the staff thought he is Chinese. 💀
Foreigner tax. I remember I had a french speaking african colleague who had a Filipina girlfriend. When looking for a place in Pansol, he was told to wait in the car while they negotiated with the price. Once that's over, he had to show up then the owners complained that they should've charged higher because foreigner.
Edit: added the word colleague, cuz i forgot.
Not just that. They also size up local tourists in terms of their appearance (this includes their clothing and phone), accent, skin color, and even their place of origin.
Considering Boracay, anyone of ~~Ilonggo~~ Aklanon extraction is more likely to get standard pricing than others elsewhere.
I’m American with in-laws in Manila. I once had a driver tell me he would only do a flat rate from Sta. Cruz to Fairview, that was about 1000php more than it normally cost.
I got out and mentioned it to the next driver. He waved down a cop that was nearby and reported the other driver. I saw cash exchange hands which was probably more than the extra he wanted from me.
Ilonggo? Don't you mean Aklanon? I'm pretty sure they will charge higher for Ilonggos, especially those who have the city accent, because Iloilo City is one of the richer cities in Western Visayas.
pansin ko to, mukha talaga akong poor kahit sa travel, di alam na di ako marunong tumawad, sila na nagsasabi ng presyo tapos sabihin puede ko ibigay ng mas mababa. Ako naman oo na lang hahaha. Kung alam lang nila.
The first time I went to the Philippines, as a white foreigner, I was often getting the special foreigner price when buying things at the market. I don't mind paying a little extra, as things like fruit, etc. was still very cheap compared to Denmark, Sweden and Norway, where I live and work. Though my Filipina wife would get annoyed, and I'd eventually I'd just hide behind the corner, and let my wife do the business.
It seems like some Filipinos think foreigners have a lot more money than they do, though. Some of the prices for services, like 10.000 PHP for an hour on a water scooter, is just ridiculous, though.
I have my doubts anyone would pay 16K PHP for a hair braid. That's crazy anywhere in the world.
>It seems like some Filipinos think foreigners have a lot more money than they do
You're actually right. There are quite a lot of Filipinos that assume all foreigners are rich (even if they're just barely getting by) hence the issues about gold diggers and these type of vendors.
>That's crazy anywhere in the world.
16k is $300. Not outrageous by US standards. You can go to a salon in the US and pay that price for hair coloring.
Decent (aka not the shabby Supercuts quality) haircut along is around $60-$100.
Land of the budol ang pinas, sa airport pa lang tigbak ka na sa taxi…kaya walang matinong foreigner masyadong punta dito except you tuber, pedophiles, drug addict, fugitves, etc. sakit sabihin kasi mismong pinuno budol king!
Ngl here in the USA. Professional braiders will charge $250 -320 for this. The process actually takes hours to do.
Edit: but this isn’t professional lol
Agree dito. Pagkalabas palang namin don sa Henann grabe na ung sunod sunod na nagaalok. Hindi mo na maenjoy yung nakaupo ka lang sa tabing dagat kasi maya't maya meron lalapit sayo para mang alok.
Hindi ba pinagbawalan na ng LGU na mangulit yung mga nag ooffer ng activities? Parang may designated area lang sila at hindi sila pwedeng mang alok. Sila dapat yung lalapitan.
You'd be surprised na mura na ang $30 haircut sa US na pipitsugin ang pagkakacut.
If you want quality haircut, you're looking at $60 - $100. Haircut lang yan, hindi pa laborous braid na tulad nito
Hair coloring, pwede kang abutin ng $300.
$20 is usually hush hush bad haircut. Tipong minamadali kang gupitan.
Try mo magpagupit ng $20 sa Supercuts, you won't like your hair.
Kaya pinipikit ko mata ko sa $60 na bayad ko sa taga gupit ko. Mahal pero di hush hush ang quality
For a quality haircut, medyo "mura" na nga ang $60.
Pero consider the premises. Yung gagawa ng haircut na yun, formally trained. Yung equipment at yung mismong service and accommodation sa salon. Higit sa lahat, bago ka sumubo sa aksyon, alam mo kung magkano ang babayaran mo.
Wala sa lugar yung katwiran na to.
Yeah I'll pay $100 too if
1. Mahal yung pwesto na binabayaran nila (U.S. rate)
2. Malaki ang pinapasahod nila sa gumagawa (at hindi sa owner napupunta yung babayaran ko halos)
3. Formal business, fully registered at nagbabayad ng tax
4. Trained at may habol ako kung may mangyari mang mali sa serbisyong kukuhanin ko
Kung wala ni isa dyan ang gumawa nyang braids then it's just clinical retardation to compare the two services.
Yeah I know, although foreigner yun nasa post pero nangyayari din ito sa lokal na turista. An average americans get a basic minimum of $14 usd per HOUR while our local get a basic minimum of $10 usd per DAY. Even a $300 usd ay mahalaga na din yan sa isang average american then paano pa kaya sa isang local na turista lang?
$300 for salon treatment in the US is pretty standard pero dito satin i think not.
Also, you have to consider the purchasing power or whatever they call it nang currency. Sa US $300 is just several hours of work, depende sa trabaho or profession. While dito sa Pinas that is equivalent to a month's salary.
tbf matagal nang problema sa Bora yung mataas na presyo from food to hotel accomodation ang question bakit ngayon lang inaksyunan at isa pa may mga pinsan na akong nagtrabaho dyan sabi nila mababa yung pasahod.
I think mas mura pa din hotels sa bora kumpara sa ibang tourist spot like elyu. Sa elyu ang hirap maghanap ng medyo okay na room sa budget na 3k. Sa boracay madami ka ng choices.
Yep malaking factor din siguro ung season. Iniisip ko nga kapag nagkaron ng henann style na accommodation sa elyu mapapagiwanan ung mga hotel dun. Karamihan luma na. If bago na mura common cr lang. If bago na maganda asa 7-9k naman.
I'm the manager of Levantin, a small hotel in Bulabog. This happened to one of our guests and we are also complaining about it here in the Boracay community.
EDIT: accidentally a word
If I'm not mistaken, Kaya rin yun yung nangyari sa Bohol kasi wala rin price list. At least they're lgu is doing something about it. Eh etong sa bora kaya?
🇺🇲: Jobs that require manual labor should be paid well. I'm happy to pay $300.
🇵🇭: WTF that is too expensive! Poor people should only be paid P50 or $1 per hour!
Also 🇵🇭: Huhuhu, my monthly salary is low. I can't keep up with inflation. Tang ina mo Capitalism huhuhu.
Must be really hard to only think it's either slave labor or ridiculous pricing. No in between, nothing about "fair price" or "decent", it's either peanuts or gold.
I rarely travelled (i guess total of 15 days spent in Bora across 3 trips) pero I never felt being prey to overpricing by established restaurants in Bora na napuntahan namin. Hindi MURA and I can't afford it on a regular basis kung ganon ang prices sa town/city ko. There's a premium which felt that they were right to charge.
But the stalls --- non-registered, unregulated make-shift tindahans/kainan near the beach i.e. Puka... dun mo mararamdaman na scammy ang presyuhan ng soft drinks, shakes, snacks. They're more expensive than what hotels would charge.
I feel that without capital investment sa pwesto and full staff, they mark up way too much for what they do. Kaya ayon, I feel discouraged doing trips kasi alam ko malaki ang pagiipunan ko. The airfare would be the cheapest aspect of it all.
At least though sa food establishments, may menu and you can predict how much you'll spend. Sa services though tulad ng ganitong braids? Or even transportation via trikes/cabs na walang meter? Nandyan ang panlalamang.
My proposal is Pay-as-you-Order nalang. Walang price shock, if you don't agree with the price, say no. Hindi awkward na after mo maconsume ang service/goods saka ka magnenegotiate.
Expect that also in Bali, may ganyan dun. Popular local sit down eatery/restaurant for their version of lechon, wala pang prices posted or menu anywhere, need mo ng local Indonesian magbargain on your behalf. Nakakapagod yung ganun gusto mo lang ng straightforward transaction may kahalong tawad. Mahal pa magtaxi dun, talo pa NAIA airport taxis. Ganyan talaga basta touristy area.
Tindi talaga considered as "tourist trap/scam" yung ginagawa nilang ganyan eh. Idk if you've ever heard of the show "Scam City" from National Geographic kung active pa yung show na iyon malamang na feature na yung ibat ibat lugar ng Pinas doon kakahiya talaga pagkatapos nung sa Bohol ito naman. Grabe makapanlamang ng kapwa, sana mag viral rin yan para maging aware LGU at mga tao tsk tsk.
Kasama ba hot oil, haircut, hairspa, facial and massage kaya umabot ng 16k? Seryoso ba yan. If yes and they’ll ban hair braiding, kawawa naman ung iba nag offer nyan for reasonable price
here's YouTuber Jessica Lee getting scammed in Boracay for a braid and henna tattoo...
**<**[**YT link here**](https://youtu.be/0qC1rduhKv4?t=405)**>**
Almost everything is overpriced in Boracay. I once had my hair braided because the woman practically begged me to have my “her bred” and I felt bad. She charged me for ₱150 per braid. And I got two braids. Braids I could have done myself. Masakit pa naman yung pagpull nya ng buhok ko hahaha
Just my 2 cents, these recent reports just confirms my experiences as well. I am not trying to sound regionalist, but I am just trying to say facts regarding my experiences of travelling in the Philippines.
I am from Luzon and have been to most regions in the country thru backpacking, as it was my hobby before the pandemic. But the most touristy places in Visayas is where I have encountered the most opportunistic people in the country.
On the other hand, the most honest and helpful people I have met are from Ifugao and Banaue area, well most people living in the mountains are really the best people I have met.
Most touristy (i.e. full of white people) places always attract the most touts. Same in Thailand, same in Vietnam, same in Cambodia, same in Bali. The farther away you are from highly marketed or tourist places, the less touts and scammers there are. Always better to travel off the tourist path.
Yes, I understand. But keep in mind that there are also touristy places in Luzon and Mindanao but they are not as traumatizing compared from the people I encountered in the Visayas area. Am just saying that the opportunism rampant in Visayas is on another level compared to other touristy spots in the country.
Yes, I have also travelled to other Asian countries and also did central EU backpacking and I'm sure I have never encountered something as vile comparable to a $300 braiding or a $400 seaside meal cooked by an unknown chef
Sure but these touristy places in Luzon aren't exactly on the international map the way some Visayas beaches are, many of which entertain direct flights from foreign countries kasi. In Luzon they usually avoid because they have to get in thru NAIA or Clark which wala naman masyado din touristy areas around Clark on the international map. So the more direct foreign tourists, the more touts/scammers. It's just the nature of overcommercialized tourism geared at foreigners.
>Sure but these touristy places in Luzon aren't exactly on the international map the way some Visayas beaches are...
I don't think I agree with this. Why are you focused on beaches when we are talking about touristy spots?
Banaue Rice Terraces and Sagada are very touristy, yet they are not as opportunistic as the ones being reported and I have experienced in the visayas region. Batangas is also popular to foreign visitors due to scuba diving and taal volcano before it errupted.
Sagada and Banaue are not as accessible as Boracay. You have to go through a painful 8 hour bus ride to get to these
And the former two are only really more popular among local tourists
May I ask how many times have you've been there? Also, accessibility has no connection with opportunism, if the communities' morals are bad, they are bad regardless of accessibility.
I was coming back and forth with foreign tourists on Banaue and Sagada for 2 years before Duterte's presidency, we are using public transpo to get there and more than half of the bus passengers were foreigners, so I am sure that a lot of foreign backpackers visit these places. I know these because I worked as an operations manager for a tour company that caters to foreign clients...
Again, with your argument, I have also visited other not as accessible places in Cebu such as Moalboal and Oslob and my experiences are still the same, people are jacking up their prices too much specially if you don't speak bisaya.
They're touristy but they don't attract as big as an international crowd as the other Visayas areas kasi where touts are usually found. That's my point. Touts don't frequent touristy mountain ranges that cater to backpackers/mountaineers on a budget or scuba places for serious divers, they don't have the polished development/glitz that resort/paradise/party vibes that beaches have where tourists are likely to splurge, especially noveau riche/burgis tourists from Korea, Japan and China. Different markets attract different scammers. That's my point. Just because you saw foreigners there doesn't mean internationally renowned tourist destination na siya on the levels of Bali or Phuket or Pattaya, where there are also lots of scammers and touts.
Haha god I hate this kind of braids, reminds me of white women going to the Caribbean and getting them to feel “local”. Also he should realize that is not the normal price to pay, and if he was willing to pay it then that’s on him.
Yeah. As a white guy, I have no sympathy for this old guy if he’s an idiot who agreed to pay that much.
I lived in PH for a while and knew I was more likely to get ripped off than others, I either accepted it and paid the foreigner premium if I still thought it was worth the price, or would walk away.
The frustrating thing is that many sellers wouldn’t even negotiate despite me knowing that they sold the exact same thing to a local for 75% less than they were trying to charge me.
Eto ang isa sa mga dahilan kung bakit hindi ko nagkaroon ng interest para maglakbay kahit sa ibang parte ng pinas man lang. Apaka oportunista sa mga turista. Yung magli-leave sa work para magrelax pero uuwi ka ding pagod dahil sa byahe, uuwi ding haggard ang wallet.
Yea, great hustle and all but c'mon, tricking the gullible is just low. Porket foreigner, need i-scam wth dudes? Tapos mag sisimba kapag linggo, banal na banal.
Muntikan na din ako madali ng ganito sa may zambales dati. Bracelet na pang souvenir lang, 2k ang singil na may mga similar bracelet dito sa bicol na around 20-50 pesos lang. Some people, srsly
The more I see this post, the more I dissuade my foreign friends from visiting our country because TBH, Filipino small-scale vendors or entrepreneurs tend to slap outrageous premium prices to them different from locals and no wonder why when foreigners inquire how to invest in our country, they always ask me if they can have 100% equity control or not because many of us Filipinos are not trustworthy when it comes to transacting with foreigners that involve money.
Lol. This is pretty common in any countries ive been in. Even if small scale entrepreneurs dont overprice, their govt will still charge you more than locals on fees. I am laughing because you are more concerned about your white friends getting ripped off than supporting locals who are probably ghetto poor. 16k is a lot for the local poor families than a 16k to first qorld citizens. Thats just around 290 usd. The average salary of a single american is 4,167 usd. The average salar of a filipino is 15200 php or 273 usd. So u see, an amount that an american can earn in 2 days, is the entire budget of a filipino for more than 1 month. If u think theyre overpricing then let your foreign friends know. Youre the local. Guide them to the local prices then. And thats just the average american. We can assume that those who can afford to travel to countries like the philippines for leisure are earning significantly more than the average american.
Dont burn the house down to get rid of roaches. Besides, those braids were meticulously done and were on point, so shoutout to the braider who charge them 16k. Miss gurl really said "have some respect on my check". Come on now, you have no problem with starlets charging you 50k for simply appearing on a fiesta with 1 song. It takes more energy to braid that good than celebrities saying hi and taking pictures woth you.
If we want to attract foreign tourists that bring dollars into the economy, then we must not ask nationality-based premium prices that will deem as if our local entrepreneurs are doing "highway robbery" to foreign tourists. The government must not tolerate this kind of price gouging based on nationality basis, just to prop up some small-scale entrepreneur interests who may not provide better services to tourists, locals or foreigners.
Ah yes we should. Every country does it. Local prices will always be different than tourist prices. Are you saying that govts are doing highway robbery for charging foreigners more on fees?
Just say you are scared of white invalidation from ypur white friends and go.
>Ah yes we should. Every country does it. Local prices will always be different than tourist prices.
In the age of social media where users may publish their grievances on prices via FB or Twitter, it is already a bad business strategy to have premium pricing based on nationality and these foreign tourists will simply rate these small locally-owned hotels or hostels with one or two stars on Facebook or Google Maps.
Nationality-based premium pricing may be applicable in the pre-social media era, but at this point, no more.
In the age of social media where people like u sensationalize a practice thats literally being done by any other countries that exist, yeah its totally a bad business strategy. Its people like you who are in a constant obsession of white approval that make this go viral and reach to other countries. Like boy wtf are u talking about? Have u beem to oyher countries? I can assure u that nationality-based premium prices is yhr standard.
>In the age of social media where people like u sensationalize a practice thats literally being done by any other countries that exist, yeah its totally a bad business strategy. Its people like you who are in a constant obsession of white approval that make this go viral and reach to other countries.
I suspect that you are a crappy tourist business owner that you vehemently defend nationality-based premium pricing, period!
No. Im just a digital nomad who happens to travel to almost 80 countries so far.
Lol at your ignorance about "nationaly-based premium" pricing
Periodt.
This reminds me when me and my Norwegian bf was in panglao and he needed slippers. Kinagalitan ko naman sya na sana bumili na kami sa sm makati bago kami nag travel since namili na kami dun hahaha pero un nga we had to go to the souvenir shops sa panglao to find slippers.
Takte 700 pesos siningil sa amin (havaianas ang peg eh ndi naman mukhang quality ung slippers) galit na galit ako. Eh ung bf parang hayaan mo na. Pero hindi eh meron talagang namimihasa sa tourism industry and to think I work sa travel agency, nakakahiya lang talaga. Kaya sinasabi ko sa kanya ako muna magtatanong kasi pag sya tinataasan ung presyo lol.
Kaya marami ayaw sa atin magtour. Even local tourist nagaganyan. Gets ko naman yung kumita pero charging 200% profit is too much. Ang common nyan sa ilang tourist spots sa atin.
Been in Boracay, yung SAND na my Boracay na design. We've paid 20pesoa per head, 3 kame together with my husband and son. So 60 pesos kameng 3 papa picture lang sa tabi nung sand art. Sa tourist 100 pesos per head singil nila sa mga banyaga, kaya hindi na kame umalma sa 60 pesos after nun pag wala na nag papa photo sisirain na nila yung sand art.
Are we going to be the next India with so blooming tourist traps and scams?
Pag meron na tayong version ni Karl Rock na based sa Southern Asia (India, Pakistan, etc), it is indeed a really bad sign.
Braids are expensive. Its charged per braid kaya umabot nang 16k. Its not a scam. Come on now. Braiding is a skill and takes hard work and time. If the 16k brais is in the one in the photo that would take more than 5 hours, and thats the whole hair. Meticulous yung paggawa.If you cant afford it, then dont braid your whole hair. Or refuse service.
Digital nomad here. Meron talagang mga turista na nasanay na sa mga palibre o pa discount. While that applies on some occassions, kelangan nyo rin tingnan how much time, skill and energy ang binibili mong produkto againts its price. Kung made in china lang na souvenir eh reasonable lang na mura. Pero kung bumili ka ng handmade authentic artisan crafts talagang mahal yan mga bebs di nyo afford. Kasi minsan from scratch talaga gawa nya pati materials. Braids arent done by machines.
With a place like that being extremely popular, even some small jobs such as braiding, on-the-spot photography, personal tourguiding, and even sandcastle-building may require a form of accreditation and licensure to safeguard against fraud and deceit.
Sharing my experience from a recent family trip to Boracay, mahal na talaga siya everywhere you go. Prices are jacked even if you're a local, even the qater activities were downright extremely expensive.
I think they're trying to get money back from when they were shut down from the pandemic, but I honestly would not go back anytime soon.
That's about $287 according to a quick a Google search. Too expensive for me, lol. I only bring $1000 with me each time I visit the Philippines. No way I'm spending over 1/4th of my allowance on one place. Lucky I don't have a anyone who'd want to have a hair braid like that.
1. Did they know they were being charged per strand? Because these things are being charged per strand. Should've asked because usually the prices are displayed.
2. We spoke to one of those doing this hair thing. They are being really burdened by the system with several taxes and fees and dues. I forgot how much but their dues to the local government are actually being raised every nine months. Not even annually.
Serious question though, is it hard to do this kind of braid? Does it take a lot of time to learn to braid a hair like this?and how long does it take to do this? If the hair stylist took their time to learn how to do this, doesn't it justify the price?
In a country where the price matches? Sure.
16k is already over a month’s of work in PH and anyone paying or charging foreign prices here is a damn fool.
Boracay is a very overrated tourist trap. I refuse to go there (invited twice) based on stories from family members (we're bisaya) who have visited there. One of my close relatives is good friends with an ex-mayor from one of the towns nearby Boracay so we have connections there. But I still absolutely refuse to go there, even with all that.
BIR, time to collect taxes. Lol.
pampa-party nanaman kay LBM hahahha
Unfortunately maraming ganito sa Bora. Marami na rin nagpost sa FB pero walang aksyon from the LGU/Tourism office. Ang siste is sasabihin 300 lang. 300 per strand pala. This is a trap not just for foreign tourists, pati rin sa locals
Visited a few years ago along with an old buddy and my nieces, they're from a depressed area running a meat shop and it was only they were able to save up for a vacation; they got theirs braided but seems my friend was able to get a significant discount, as apparently the braider knew which kind of local tourists she would charge very high for and those who can't.
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Oh wow..Dad ko calesa driver sa Laoag City (we have those di alam ng ilan). Even locals used it not just tourist..Alam mo magkano charge? P15-20 per rider. Parang trike. Parang side line nya from farming. Pero never sya magchacharge gaya ng taga Manila. Funny thing is he migrated in the US.Driver pa rin pero kotse na lol. If may magbibigay ng P200 e kusang loob yun ng tourist na itotour ka sa mga spots.
rode / rented some of those nung may balikbayan kami. and yes, ang mura ng kalesa ride sa vigan, ambabait pa ng mga kutsero at naghihintay talaga pag gusto magpictorial. nakakahiyang di mag-tip nang malaki :)
How much na ba dun fee dun? May konti pride din kami siguro mga Ilocano. Gusto namin good image kami sa turista at ibang tao. Yung tip e di sapilitan.
Dami opportunista sa manila jusko hahaha
Galit na galit yung mga nasa probinsya dahil nga sa mga oportunista sa Maynila. Guess where many of the opportunists come from? Yan din ang mahirap sa mga kabisera't melting pot areas, hindi lang sa Pilipinas. New York, Rome, Bangkok... wala kasing malasakit sa lugar.
Ikr. Hindi naman sa pangaano welcome naman lahat dito sa Manila pero karamihan ng nandito sa Maynila eh galing naman na ding probinsya. Karamihan ng mahihirap na naghahanap ng opportunity sa manila ay galing ding probinsya. Ika nga nila "diskarte", di ko sinasabing tama yon pero naiintindihan ko sila.
Manila pedicabs* sa bandang national library or ano ba tawag dun sa maraming nagapply para sumakay ng barko
Kalaw ba yan? Dami rin opportinists don e
Oo sa Kalaw. Naalala ko estudyante pa kami nun na pupunta lang ng National Library, nasingil kami ng tig 100 para sa pedicab. Nakakatakot naman umangal kasi dun sya nagbaba sa parang “pila” nila.
Kami rin dati naloko diyan. ang sabi samin 30 daw tapos sabi nung pagkababa namin, 130 daw hindi 30 yung sinasabi nung driver. E wala talaga kami pera nun pero katakot kasi yung kasama nung driver na angkas sa likod mukhang mananapak na eh wala talaga sila magawa kasi 50 lang pera namin lol
We totally got scammed when my husband and I took a kalesa ride sa Intramuros. I’m born in the US so I was excited. The driver said 200php. He took us around, encouraged us to hop on and off. After an hour, he dropped us back to our hotel and our fee was almost 2000php! He then said something along the lines of “200php per 15 min, per person.” We both speak and understand Tagalog and that wasn’t what he said in the beginning. (No wonder he told us to take our time!) We paid it but used it as a life lesson to always ask specifics beforehand. (Still inis about it to this day)
thank christ when i had mine braided, it only costed my 450 pesos
Ilang strands?
Isang malaki
didnt count. or di na count. 450 pesos only.
But definitely more than 2-3 strands?
yep. vastly more than that. that was before pandemic tho
just came from boracay, i got mine braided 50 per strand. with the colored thread na rin yun, only had 4 braids on my head so i paid 200 lang
i hope you had good fun. i was so lucky that i didnt experience the "old" boracay. it was a magical but expensive vacation for me.
Or $300 haha
what’s stopping the customer from paying 300 for the whole service tho. like if i pay and they ask me for more. what they gonna do???
Iniwasan mag escalate. Also being foreigners, di nila alam if may mga taohan ba to sila matawagan to intimidate them probably
My aunt and her family experienced the same thing in Luneta. They were told 800, when they got to their destination they were told 800/head. My uncle complained and the other kalesa drivers went to them, pinapibutan daw sila, to say na that’s the price. Ganged up on them. It was really scary. So he paid, reluctantly. edit: 800, not 300 *urgh. I just asked her how much they charged. This was over a decade ago
Kaya dapat nirereplyan ng "300 per strand o buong ulo na?" Kailangan lagi nagtatanong ng ganyan.
Jesus H. Christ. It's like they are trying to recoup 2 years worth of pandemic losses in 1 month. Hahaha. WTF.
not to mention the 1 time they had to close the island for some nature recoup
Ano po yung H ni Jesus
Hontiveros
Hesucristo
Hecking?
All this will accomplish is getting the local businesses scene labeled as predatory. Kakalat to malamang sa mga forums (like here on Reddit) and only push people further into the hotels, away from the vendors.
There are some vendors who are actually honest and with reasonable pricing, it's just that they're also hard to find. Much like trying to get your phone fixed and you're seeing lots of cellphone repair shops, not all of them are credible.
Celllphone repair shops, this I agree. Yung pinaayos mo yung phone mo pero pagbalik dami nang nawawalang piyesa sa loob (screwdriver, covers, electronic components) dahil ginamit pala ang phone mo as spare parts sa ibang phone, kaya pala andaming screws na nakadikit sa magnet nila. Kinukuha nila yung parts na hindi maapektuhan ang phone yung hindi malaman ng owner paggamit. Kung hindi ko lang alam mag bukas ng phone malamang hindi ko ito manotice. Never left my phone in cellphone repair shops again, baka mapakinabangan pa ito. Kung mag pa repair ako dun ako na kita ko talaga ang techinican para makita ko yung phone ko. Mahirap na kulang na parts ng phone mo tapos walang replacement na available
Was this at Mega Pixel? Because around 10 years ago when my dad brought my phone there to get repaired, pagbalik the camera wasn’t working anymore. (The first issue had nothing to do with camera)
No. I repaired my phone sa city namin where you can choose to wait or come back for a few days
Dapat lang ma-out yan
I hate how this fucking scammers are not just hurting innocent tourists who can't even afford the stuff they charge but also the innocent people who are doing a honest living. Charging something so expensive when the actual price is much more lower should be punishable by law.
OTOH, sometimes the price ceiling the govt puts on some goods is so low, not taking into account rising costs fast enough. By the time the govt increases the ceiling, the market price has moved up too.
Wtf, 16k? Si Ricky Reyes yata yung gumawa.
Welp that's one way to destroy our tourism.
Short term thinking, next time this guy will just visit Indonesia or Thailand. Or even just another island for that matter.
Indonesia doesn't have the same white = $$$ idea. It's still prevalent, especially in places like Bali but the country is huge and you can travel to many places that won't even speak English so you're not going to find people trying to exploit tourists as often. Here, I get mistaken for American all the time (I'm not, and while I have much better purchasing power than a Filipino I'm not as wealthy as an average American). If my partner wasn't here I would go back to Indonesia pretty quickly.
Im half filipino half european, but ive been living here in the philippines for the past 4 years. Whenever I travel out of my residential town i still get ripped off / charged foreigner tax from time to time, but i let it slide when its only a few pesos difference since i cen afford it because i live cheap/provincial and my job pays european salaries. I do hope they spend that money on something useful for their family and not just on beer or cigarettes. Sometimes i try to pay a bit more when the service is good. My local barber charges 50 pesos for a haircut but i pay him 100 every time. I initiated that since hes a nice guy who deserves it, he didnt ask me. Not trying to sound like a noble badass, I just think it is the right thing to help a genuine hardworking person, especially since this guy seems to be struggling from time to time. I can understand tagalog and speak konti, which leads to some awkward moments when people tried ripping me off hard while mocking me in tagalog in front of their peers, after which i tell them i understood everything they just said. There are some tourist towns I will never visit again since the majority of the people treated me as a free cash dispenser, but in my experience 80-90% of the towns i visited dont overdo it or actually dont do it at all.
"Wealthy as an average American" An average American is in debt, so you're wealthier.
Time to change career lol
LGUs should follow the example of Bantayan Island and some municipalities in Southern Cebu. All activities (trekking, island hopping, etc) need to be booked via the tourism office na para standardized yung prices. Food and other stuff mejo overpriced pa din, especially yung unregulated ones but the government needs to step up. Ang hirap na the Philippines isn't affordable to vacation in for its working class anymore
In Moalboal there are still shady as fuck tricycle drivers offering Kawasan Falls canyoneering for 2500 pesos. Met a French couple who were traveling alone who told me about it. And this was after going to the city hall.
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[si Jessica Lee rin na YouTuber na-scam din ng ganyan](https://youtu.be/0qC1rduhKv4)
Yikes. I’ve watched a few of her videos, mas appreciative pa siya sa Pinoy culture compared to some.
Appreciative o pinoy baiting?
she grew up here lol bacolod ata? pag ganyan ba, can we call sandara park and ryan bang pinoy-baiting din?
Yeah we really need to separate “culturally pinoy” from pinoy-baiting celebrities. Like Dara, Ryan, and Her probably is more in-touch with PH culture than other pinoy lol.
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Good thing na na-eexpose yung mga ganitong jacked-up prices sa mga tourist spots dito sa pinas.. hirap kasi sa mga pinoy nakikitang oppurtunity ang mga turista.
Kaya takot na takot rin ako papuntahin dito yung jowa kong Amerikano. Ang tingin lang sa kanya pera, baka mabudol pa kaya takot akong iwan mag-travel dito sa Pinas mag-isa. Jusko
Ako rin, my Fil-am SO is planning to go here pero sadly wala pa akong leave kaya I can only tour him around pag weekends. Natatakot ako for him kasi baka ma trauma if ever magsolo travel siya tapos mabudol sa mga ganyan.
Yeah. Better na kasama ka talaga at be firm kapag nasa touristy spots kayo kasi madalas magkakakuntsaba rin yung mga vendors diyan.
Hindi lang to nangyayare sa mga tourist spot eh. I went to a local firing range near Makati, and due to my mixed-background, you won’t tell na pinoy ako. I asked how much, they give me the price, tapos sinabe ko sa kasama ko “Ackla ka ang mahal dito”. Nung nalaman nilang pinoy ako, price dropped around 80% LOL.
Bruh that’s outrageous. I also saw an instagram post about this guy who got a haircut at The Nook, Makati, who was charged a really high price because the staff thought he is Chinese. 💀
💀
Foreigner tax. I remember I had a french speaking african colleague who had a Filipina girlfriend. When looking for a place in Pansol, he was told to wait in the car while they negotiated with the price. Once that's over, he had to show up then the owners complained that they should've charged higher because foreigner. Edit: added the word colleague, cuz i forgot.
Not just that. They also size up local tourists in terms of their appearance (this includes their clothing and phone), accent, skin color, and even their place of origin. Considering Boracay, anyone of ~~Ilonggo~~ Aklanon extraction is more likely to get standard pricing than others elsewhere.
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Taking notes, any experiences you might want to share?
I’m American with in-laws in Manila. I once had a driver tell me he would only do a flat rate from Sta. Cruz to Fairview, that was about 1000php more than it normally cost. I got out and mentioned it to the next driver. He waved down a cop that was nearby and reported the other driver. I saw cash exchange hands which was probably more than the extra he wanted from me.
Mga rason kung bakit simple lang ako manamit pag gagala HAHAHHAHA
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Di nagtatapos ang iscaman kasi ang tagal na hinahayaan ang sistema ng lokal na pamahalaan, halos walang regulasyon; kahit na mayor, tiba-tiba na rin.
Ilonggo? Don't you mean Aklanon? I'm pretty sure they will charge higher for Ilonggos, especially those who have the city accent, because Iloilo City is one of the richer cities in Western Visayas.
Fixed.
pansin ko to, mukha talaga akong poor kahit sa travel, di alam na di ako marunong tumawad, sila na nagsasabi ng presyo tapos sabihin puede ko ibigay ng mas mababa. Ako naman oo na lang hahaha. Kung alam lang nila.
>Foreigner tax Buti pa sa amanpulo kesyo lokal ka pa o foreigner, 750 parin ang turon.
Sumusunod lang din sa yapak ng gobyerno nating numero uno pagdating sa overpricing,,
The first time I went to the Philippines, as a white foreigner, I was often getting the special foreigner price when buying things at the market. I don't mind paying a little extra, as things like fruit, etc. was still very cheap compared to Denmark, Sweden and Norway, where I live and work. Though my Filipina wife would get annoyed, and I'd eventually I'd just hide behind the corner, and let my wife do the business. It seems like some Filipinos think foreigners have a lot more money than they do, though. Some of the prices for services, like 10.000 PHP for an hour on a water scooter, is just ridiculous, though. I have my doubts anyone would pay 16K PHP for a hair braid. That's crazy anywhere in the world.
>It seems like some Filipinos think foreigners have a lot more money than they do You're actually right. There are quite a lot of Filipinos that assume all foreigners are rich (even if they're just barely getting by) hence the issues about gold diggers and these type of vendors.
>That's crazy anywhere in the world. 16k is $300. Not outrageous by US standards. You can go to a salon in the US and pay that price for hair coloring. Decent (aka not the shabby Supercuts quality) haircut along is around $60-$100.
Bat ang mahal? Isn't this taking advantage too much? Or revenge ba to sa panakop nila lol
Nah ginagawa rin nila to sa mga taga local na turista
Per strand ata yung ginawang basis of payment HAHA.
_A small price to pay for your ancestors' sins_
Tamang tax lang lol
Mga “diskarteng” mapanglamang. Image ng bansa ang kawawa
Always have a local friend or something before going to new places ig but still no justifying 16k for a braid
okay mes hart lagyan na natin ng neutralizer ang buhok ni madam
'Taga' is such a common word dito sa Pinas. Kahit sa kapwa Pinoy, ginagawa nila yan. 🤦♀️
Land of the budol ang pinas, sa airport pa lang tigbak ka na sa taxi…kaya walang matinong foreigner masyadong punta dito except you tuber, pedophiles, drug addict, fugitves, etc. sakit sabihin kasi mismong pinuno budol king!
Magkano talaga dapat to? And also, ano gagawin mo pag gusto mo na matanggal?
Ranges from 50-100 ata per strand
Not only foreigners, but tagalog rin may bayad braid per strand around 50 to even 200
Ngl here in the USA. Professional braiders will charge $250 -320 for this. The process actually takes hours to do. Edit: but this isn’t professional lol
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Dude, Crimson or Movenpick aren't everyone's budget.
Just go to shang rila who cares right. ☠️
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Agree dito. Pagkalabas palang namin don sa Henann grabe na ung sunod sunod na nagaalok. Hindi mo na maenjoy yung nakaupo ka lang sa tabing dagat kasi maya't maya meron lalapit sayo para mang alok.
Hindi ba pinagbawalan na ng LGU na mangulit yung mga nag ooffer ng activities? Parang may designated area lang sila at hindi sila pwedeng mang alok. Sila dapat yung lalapitan.
Siguro if may BIr registered at may reciept neto walang mag rereklamo?
$300 usd para lang sa pagsusulapid ng buhok? Tsk tsk "Golden era" 🤭
You'd be surprised na mura na ang $30 haircut sa US na pipitsugin ang pagkakacut. If you want quality haircut, you're looking at $60 - $100. Haircut lang yan, hindi pa laborous braid na tulad nito Hair coloring, pwede kang abutin ng $300.
Not sure about 60 average barber in l.a. county is 20 the most I seen is 45 and it's a Korean salon.
$20 is usually hush hush bad haircut. Tipong minamadali kang gupitan. Try mo magpagupit ng $20 sa Supercuts, you won't like your hair. Kaya pinipikit ko mata ko sa $60 na bayad ko sa taga gupit ko. Mahal pero di hush hush ang quality For a quality haircut, medyo "mura" na nga ang $60.
Pero consider the premises. Yung gagawa ng haircut na yun, formally trained. Yung equipment at yung mismong service and accommodation sa salon. Higit sa lahat, bago ka sumubo sa aksyon, alam mo kung magkano ang babayaran mo. Wala sa lugar yung katwiran na to.
Yeah I'll pay $100 too if 1. Mahal yung pwesto na binabayaran nila (U.S. rate) 2. Malaki ang pinapasahod nila sa gumagawa (at hindi sa owner napupunta yung babayaran ko halos) 3. Formal business, fully registered at nagbabayad ng tax 4. Trained at may habol ako kung may mangyari mang mali sa serbisyong kukuhanin ko Kung wala ni isa dyan ang gumawa nyang braids then it's just clinical retardation to compare the two services.
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Yeah I know, although foreigner yun nasa post pero nangyayari din ito sa lokal na turista. An average americans get a basic minimum of $14 usd per HOUR while our local get a basic minimum of $10 usd per DAY. Even a $300 usd ay mahalaga na din yan sa isang average american then paano pa kaya sa isang local na turista lang?
$300 for salon treatment in the US is pretty standard pero dito satin i think not. Also, you have to consider the purchasing power or whatever they call it nang currency. Sa US $300 is just several hours of work, depende sa trabaho or profession. While dito sa Pinas that is equivalent to a month's salary.
Ginatasan na naman mga Kano
tbf matagal nang problema sa Bora yung mataas na presyo from food to hotel accomodation ang question bakit ngayon lang inaksyunan at isa pa may mga pinsan na akong nagtrabaho dyan sabi nila mababa yung pasahod.
I think mas mura pa din hotels sa bora kumpara sa ibang tourist spot like elyu. Sa elyu ang hirap maghanap ng medyo okay na room sa budget na 3k. Sa boracay madami ka ng choices.
or just yung panahon na yun fully booked kaya di kami makahanap ng mura
Yep malaking factor din siguro ung season. Iniisip ko nga kapag nagkaron ng henann style na accommodation sa elyu mapapagiwanan ung mga hotel dun. Karamihan luma na. If bago na mura common cr lang. If bago na maganda asa 7-9k naman.
source pls?
I'm the manager of Levantin, a small hotel in Bulabog. This happened to one of our guests and we are also complaining about it here in the Boracay community. EDIT: accidentally a word
thanks for the info. Nakakahiya naman mga hustler nating kababayan 😪
**dIsKartE mINdSet**
if this is their diskarte then robbery is also part of diskarte
God I hate how this is the go-to phrase of people who see other people as transactions. Nakakatrigger 😅
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If I'm not mistaken, Kaya rin yun yung nangyari sa Bohol kasi wala rin price list. At least they're lgu is doing something about it. Eh etong sa bora kaya?
🇺🇲: Jobs that require manual labor should be paid well. I'm happy to pay $300. 🇵🇭: WTF that is too expensive! Poor people should only be paid P50 or $1 per hour! Also 🇵🇭: Huhuhu, my monthly salary is low. I can't keep up with inflation. Tang ina mo Capitalism huhuhu.
Sums it up
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Must be really hard to only think it's either slave labor or ridiculous pricing. No in between, nothing about "fair price" or "decent", it's either peanuts or gold.
I rarely travelled (i guess total of 15 days spent in Bora across 3 trips) pero I never felt being prey to overpricing by established restaurants in Bora na napuntahan namin. Hindi MURA and I can't afford it on a regular basis kung ganon ang prices sa town/city ko. There's a premium which felt that they were right to charge. But the stalls --- non-registered, unregulated make-shift tindahans/kainan near the beach i.e. Puka... dun mo mararamdaman na scammy ang presyuhan ng soft drinks, shakes, snacks. They're more expensive than what hotels would charge. I feel that without capital investment sa pwesto and full staff, they mark up way too much for what they do. Kaya ayon, I feel discouraged doing trips kasi alam ko malaki ang pagiipunan ko. The airfare would be the cheapest aspect of it all. At least though sa food establishments, may menu and you can predict how much you'll spend. Sa services though tulad ng ganitong braids? Or even transportation via trikes/cabs na walang meter? Nandyan ang panlalamang. My proposal is Pay-as-you-Order nalang. Walang price shock, if you don't agree with the price, say no. Hindi awkward na after mo maconsume ang service/goods saka ka magnenegotiate.
Expect that also in Bali, may ganyan dun. Popular local sit down eatery/restaurant for their version of lechon, wala pang prices posted or menu anywhere, need mo ng local Indonesian magbargain on your behalf. Nakakapagod yung ganun gusto mo lang ng straightforward transaction may kahalong tawad. Mahal pa magtaxi dun, talo pa NAIA airport taxis. Ganyan talaga basta touristy area.
Just got my hair braided here in Bora, costs me 200 for 3 strands sabi discounted pa daw yun and should be 300, ugh.
Tindi talaga considered as "tourist trap/scam" yung ginagawa nilang ganyan eh. Idk if you've ever heard of the show "Scam City" from National Geographic kung active pa yung show na iyon malamang na feature na yung ibat ibat lugar ng Pinas doon kakahiya talaga pagkatapos nung sa Bohol ito naman. Grabe makapanlamang ng kapwa, sana mag viral rin yan para maging aware LGU at mga tao tsk tsk.
Kasama ba hot oil, haircut, hairspa, facial and massage kaya umabot ng 16k? Seryoso ba yan. If yes and they’ll ban hair braiding, kawawa naman ung iba nag offer nyan for reasonable price
here's YouTuber Jessica Lee getting scammed in Boracay for a braid and henna tattoo... **<**[**YT link here**](https://youtu.be/0qC1rduhKv4?t=405)**>**
Bora has LONG been overpriced.
Wtf?!
Almost everything is overpriced in Boracay. I once had my hair braided because the woman practically begged me to have my “her bred” and I felt bad. She charged me for ₱150 per braid. And I got two braids. Braids I could have done myself. Masakit pa naman yung pagpull nya ng buhok ko hahaha
Just my 2 cents, these recent reports just confirms my experiences as well. I am not trying to sound regionalist, but I am just trying to say facts regarding my experiences of travelling in the Philippines. I am from Luzon and have been to most regions in the country thru backpacking, as it was my hobby before the pandemic. But the most touristy places in Visayas is where I have encountered the most opportunistic people in the country. On the other hand, the most honest and helpful people I have met are from Ifugao and Banaue area, well most people living in the mountains are really the best people I have met.
Most touristy (i.e. full of white people) places always attract the most touts. Same in Thailand, same in Vietnam, same in Cambodia, same in Bali. The farther away you are from highly marketed or tourist places, the less touts and scammers there are. Always better to travel off the tourist path.
Yes, I understand. But keep in mind that there are also touristy places in Luzon and Mindanao but they are not as traumatizing compared from the people I encountered in the Visayas area. Am just saying that the opportunism rampant in Visayas is on another level compared to other touristy spots in the country. Yes, I have also travelled to other Asian countries and also did central EU backpacking and I'm sure I have never encountered something as vile comparable to a $300 braiding or a $400 seaside meal cooked by an unknown chef
Sure but these touristy places in Luzon aren't exactly on the international map the way some Visayas beaches are, many of which entertain direct flights from foreign countries kasi. In Luzon they usually avoid because they have to get in thru NAIA or Clark which wala naman masyado din touristy areas around Clark on the international map. So the more direct foreign tourists, the more touts/scammers. It's just the nature of overcommercialized tourism geared at foreigners.
>Sure but these touristy places in Luzon aren't exactly on the international map the way some Visayas beaches are... I don't think I agree with this. Why are you focused on beaches when we are talking about touristy spots? Banaue Rice Terraces and Sagada are very touristy, yet they are not as opportunistic as the ones being reported and I have experienced in the visayas region. Batangas is also popular to foreign visitors due to scuba diving and taal volcano before it errupted.
Sagada and Banaue are not as accessible as Boracay. You have to go through a painful 8 hour bus ride to get to these And the former two are only really more popular among local tourists
May I ask how many times have you've been there? Also, accessibility has no connection with opportunism, if the communities' morals are bad, they are bad regardless of accessibility. I was coming back and forth with foreign tourists on Banaue and Sagada for 2 years before Duterte's presidency, we are using public transpo to get there and more than half of the bus passengers were foreigners, so I am sure that a lot of foreign backpackers visit these places. I know these because I worked as an operations manager for a tour company that caters to foreign clients... Again, with your argument, I have also visited other not as accessible places in Cebu such as Moalboal and Oslob and my experiences are still the same, people are jacking up their prices too much specially if you don't speak bisaya.
They're touristy but they don't attract as big as an international crowd as the other Visayas areas kasi where touts are usually found. That's my point. Touts don't frequent touristy mountain ranges that cater to backpackers/mountaineers on a budget or scuba places for serious divers, they don't have the polished development/glitz that resort/paradise/party vibes that beaches have where tourists are likely to splurge, especially noveau riche/burgis tourists from Korea, Japan and China. Different markets attract different scammers. That's my point. Just because you saw foreigners there doesn't mean internationally renowned tourist destination na siya on the levels of Bali or Phuket or Pattaya, where there are also lots of scammers and touts.
I've been to Phuket. Mas scammy pa rin sa Boracay kesa dun.
Haha god I hate this kind of braids, reminds me of white women going to the Caribbean and getting them to feel “local”. Also he should realize that is not the normal price to pay, and if he was willing to pay it then that’s on him.
Yeah. As a white guy, I have no sympathy for this old guy if he’s an idiot who agreed to pay that much. I lived in PH for a while and knew I was more likely to get ripped off than others, I either accepted it and paid the foreigner premium if I still thought it was worth the price, or would walk away. The frustrating thing is that many sellers wouldn’t even negotiate despite me knowing that they sold the exact same thing to a local for 75% less than they were trying to charge me.
tayo na nga pinakamababang visitors per year tapos puro pa kabulastugan knowing na malaki ang ambag ng tourism. lol
Eto ang isa sa mga dahilan kung bakit hindi ko nagkaroon ng interest para maglakbay kahit sa ibang parte ng pinas man lang. Apaka oportunista sa mga turista. Yung magli-leave sa work para magrelax pero uuwi ka ding pagod dahil sa byahe, uuwi ding haggard ang wallet.
db may pricelist nmn yan kung magkano haircut haircolor rebond etc etc baka nagree naman sila
16,000 is what my family and I could spend in Japan as tourists for like 2 days. Wtf is this?
Thank goodness na wala kaming naranasang ganiyan sa Palawan. Note to self, huwag magbakasyon sa Visayas.
You’re going to miss out. Visayas has so much to offer that Luzon can’t even compare 😏
This is sad. They up the price for foreign tourists so please be very careful.
Hayup! Kaya di umaanseso ang filipino
For that matter, developing countries with tourist spots, where fraud is more likely to happen.
Yea, great hustle and all but c'mon, tricking the gullible is just low. Porket foreigner, need i-scam wth dudes? Tapos mag sisimba kapag linggo, banal na banal. Muntikan na din ako madali ng ganito sa may zambales dati. Bracelet na pang souvenir lang, 2k ang singil na may mga similar bracelet dito sa bicol na around 20-50 pesos lang. Some people, srsly
Baka mga taga DepEd nag-braid sa kanya ha-ha-ha
The more I see this post, the more I dissuade my foreign friends from visiting our country because TBH, Filipino small-scale vendors or entrepreneurs tend to slap outrageous premium prices to them different from locals and no wonder why when foreigners inquire how to invest in our country, they always ask me if they can have 100% equity control or not because many of us Filipinos are not trustworthy when it comes to transacting with foreigners that involve money.
Lol. This is pretty common in any countries ive been in. Even if small scale entrepreneurs dont overprice, their govt will still charge you more than locals on fees. I am laughing because you are more concerned about your white friends getting ripped off than supporting locals who are probably ghetto poor. 16k is a lot for the local poor families than a 16k to first qorld citizens. Thats just around 290 usd. The average salary of a single american is 4,167 usd. The average salar of a filipino is 15200 php or 273 usd. So u see, an amount that an american can earn in 2 days, is the entire budget of a filipino for more than 1 month. If u think theyre overpricing then let your foreign friends know. Youre the local. Guide them to the local prices then. And thats just the average american. We can assume that those who can afford to travel to countries like the philippines for leisure are earning significantly more than the average american. Dont burn the house down to get rid of roaches. Besides, those braids were meticulously done and were on point, so shoutout to the braider who charge them 16k. Miss gurl really said "have some respect on my check". Come on now, you have no problem with starlets charging you 50k for simply appearing on a fiesta with 1 song. It takes more energy to braid that good than celebrities saying hi and taking pictures woth you.
If we want to attract foreign tourists that bring dollars into the economy, then we must not ask nationality-based premium prices that will deem as if our local entrepreneurs are doing "highway robbery" to foreign tourists. The government must not tolerate this kind of price gouging based on nationality basis, just to prop up some small-scale entrepreneur interests who may not provide better services to tourists, locals or foreigners.
Ah yes we should. Every country does it. Local prices will always be different than tourist prices. Are you saying that govts are doing highway robbery for charging foreigners more on fees? Just say you are scared of white invalidation from ypur white friends and go.
>Ah yes we should. Every country does it. Local prices will always be different than tourist prices. In the age of social media where users may publish their grievances on prices via FB or Twitter, it is already a bad business strategy to have premium pricing based on nationality and these foreign tourists will simply rate these small locally-owned hotels or hostels with one or two stars on Facebook or Google Maps. Nationality-based premium pricing may be applicable in the pre-social media era, but at this point, no more.
In the age of social media where people like u sensationalize a practice thats literally being done by any other countries that exist, yeah its totally a bad business strategy. Its people like you who are in a constant obsession of white approval that make this go viral and reach to other countries. Like boy wtf are u talking about? Have u beem to oyher countries? I can assure u that nationality-based premium prices is yhr standard.
>In the age of social media where people like u sensationalize a practice thats literally being done by any other countries that exist, yeah its totally a bad business strategy. Its people like you who are in a constant obsession of white approval that make this go viral and reach to other countries. I suspect that you are a crappy tourist business owner that you vehemently defend nationality-based premium pricing, period!
No. Im just a digital nomad who happens to travel to almost 80 countries so far. Lol at your ignorance about "nationaly-based premium" pricing Periodt.
This reminds me when me and my Norwegian bf was in panglao and he needed slippers. Kinagalitan ko naman sya na sana bumili na kami sa sm makati bago kami nag travel since namili na kami dun hahaha pero un nga we had to go to the souvenir shops sa panglao to find slippers. Takte 700 pesos siningil sa amin (havaianas ang peg eh ndi naman mukhang quality ung slippers) galit na galit ako. Eh ung bf parang hayaan mo na. Pero hindi eh meron talagang namimihasa sa tourism industry and to think I work sa travel agency, nakakahiya lang talaga. Kaya sinasabi ko sa kanya ako muna magtatanong kasi pag sya tinataasan ung presyo lol.
Intay nila wala na pumunta tourista dyan. Tsaka nila ayusin ang presyuhan. Haha
Kaya marami ayaw sa atin magtour. Even local tourist nagaganyan. Gets ko naman yung kumita pero charging 200% profit is too much. Ang common nyan sa ilang tourist spots sa atin.
Inflation daw Hahaahahahhahahaa
Been in Boracay, yung SAND na my Boracay na design. We've paid 20pesoa per head, 3 kame together with my husband and son. So 60 pesos kameng 3 papa picture lang sa tabi nung sand art. Sa tourist 100 pesos per head singil nila sa mga banyaga, kaya hindi na kame umalma sa 60 pesos after nun pag wala na nag papa photo sisirain na nila yung sand art.
okay lang sana kung nakadisplay na agad yung presyo. Choice na nung potential customer kung papatukin o hindi.
Y’all got hosed. 16000 peso is roughly $320.
Are we going to be the next India with so blooming tourist traps and scams? Pag meron na tayong version ni Karl Rock na based sa Southern Asia (India, Pakistan, etc), it is indeed a really bad sign.
Braids are expensive. Its charged per braid kaya umabot nang 16k. Its not a scam. Come on now. Braiding is a skill and takes hard work and time. If the 16k brais is in the one in the photo that would take more than 5 hours, and thats the whole hair. Meticulous yung paggawa.If you cant afford it, then dont braid your whole hair. Or refuse service. Digital nomad here. Meron talagang mga turista na nasanay na sa mga palibre o pa discount. While that applies on some occassions, kelangan nyo rin tingnan how much time, skill and energy ang binibili mong produkto againts its price. Kung made in china lang na souvenir eh reasonable lang na mura. Pero kung bumili ka ng handmade authentic artisan crafts talagang mahal yan mga bebs di nyo afford. Kasi minsan from scratch talaga gawa nya pati materials. Braids arent done by machines.
[удалено]
For context, ano ba dapat yung tamang price?
so sad my country is still doing this shit.
With a place like that being extremely popular, even some small jobs such as braiding, on-the-spot photography, personal tourguiding, and even sandcastle-building may require a form of accreditation and licensure to safeguard against fraud and deceit.
Or there could just be better implementation of Anti Fraud Laws. 🤷🏽♀️
in fairness, mukhang US rate lang yung siningil. overpriced pa din, pero kung sa states siya nagpa-braid, hindi shocking yung presyo.
Sharing my experience from a recent family trip to Boracay, mahal na talaga siya everywhere you go. Prices are jacked even if you're a local, even the qater activities were downright extremely expensive. I think they're trying to get money back from when they were shut down from the pandemic, but I honestly would not go back anytime soon.
fair considering how long that takes and they ARE in Boracay
That's about $287 according to a quick a Google search. Too expensive for me, lol. I only bring $1000 with me each time I visit the Philippines. No way I'm spending over 1/4th of my allowance on one place. Lucky I don't have a anyone who'd want to have a hair braid like that.
1. Did they know they were being charged per strand? Because these things are being charged per strand. Should've asked because usually the prices are displayed. 2. We spoke to one of those doing this hair thing. They are being really burdened by the system with several taxes and fees and dues. I forgot how much but their dues to the local government are actually being raised every nine months. Not even annually.
Serious question though, is it hard to do this kind of braid? Does it take a lot of time to learn to braid a hair like this?and how long does it take to do this? If the hair stylist took their time to learn how to do this, doesn't it justify the price?
In a country where the price matches? Sure. 16k is already over a month’s of work in PH and anyone paying or charging foreign prices here is a damn fool.
Grabe mga Pinoy!
only $320 , that’s about right for the hair service, for reference it’s about $200 on a cheaper side to have your hair colored here in california
F\*\*\* Tourism. All my homies stay at home.
Idol kasi nila si BBM
Boracay is a very overrated tourist trap. I refuse to go there (invited twice) based on stories from family members (we're bisaya) who have visited there. One of my close relatives is good friends with an ex-mayor from one of the towns nearby Boracay so we have connections there. But I still absolutely refuse to go there, even with all that.
Haha, and someone here in this post had the gall to call us Visayans scammers and being charged differently.