| Username |
Post |
| bored2death |
Posted
on 27-Sep-03 06:31 AM
A few weeks back, four employees of our office that is dominated by economists and social scientists, decided to go on the AC trek and the four member team included one American, one Australian, one Nepali friend of mine and myself. Due to cultural and other differences and implicit dividing lines, the American and Australian ladies decided to pay on their own while us two Nepali gals decided to share our costs.
I do not think that one has to be a rocket scientist or nuclear physicist to realize that the local hosts in the popular trekking routes of Nepal have quite discriminatory practices between expatriate and local (meaning Nepali) costumers. During our 24 day trip we kept account of all the expenses so that we could share with one another our spending and tipping habits. Not surprisingly, we two Nepali females spent almost .75 times more and tipped 2.5 times more than our expatriate colleagues. Please do not harbor the impression that we were on a spending spree and trying to outspend the others and prove a point we were not!!!
On this World Tourism Day my question is why do not the Nepali travel entrepreneurs get it? Get the fact that Nepali and Indian costumers spend more and tip better and may be the backbone for the survival of what ever little or much there is left of the travel and trade industry after these many years of civil strife in Nepal!
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| Bhunte |
Posted
on 27-Sep-03 06:42 AM
Redo your math. You indeed spent less when you factor by 0.75 to your major cost. Tip is not a significant to the total expenses.
Further, it sounds like "Mama ko Dhan le Fufu ko Shradde" gareko jasto lagyo malai ta....eheheh
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| bored2death |
Posted
on 27-Sep-03 06:48 AM
Thanks for the corrections Bhunte.......................
We Nepalis spent approximately Rs 1.75 for every 1.00 spent by the expats.
Tips is not significant but it goes directly (most of the time) to the most deserving people, would you not say so?
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| Bhunte |
Posted
on 27-Sep-03 06:52 AM
I agree with the laterz, but that was not in the original post.
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| sadabichar |
Posted
on 27-Sep-03 08:36 AM
I understood the maths.. in both major (main) expenses and tips, the nepalese girls paid more than the expatriates. There could be three reasons:
1. Nepalese don't have good idea on how to be economical. How to spend tightly and yet to get desired results.
2. Nepalese might have felt shy not to present themselves as cheap in front of their foreign counterparts.
3. As Bhunte said it could be a tendency of "Mama ko Dhan le Fufu ko Shradde". It really depends on how you earned that money!!!!
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| Echoes |
Posted
on 27-Sep-03 07:30 PM
With due respect, my comments on this thread:
1. The poster's claim to be an average Nepali tourist is self-proclaimed. She has no reasonable argument as to why she and her friend could be taken as a representative sample of Nepali tourists. As a member of a family engaged in the tourism-based service industry, my general observation was not in keeping with what she has suggested. An average Nepali tourist cannot and does not spend more money than an average American or Australian. This should explain to her the "quite discriminatory practices between expatriate and local (meaning Nepali) costumers." although she hasn't really elaborated on the "discriminatory practices".
2. At the national economy level, I don't think it makes sense for Nepal to promote internal tourism as the "backbone" of the industry. Two reasons: a) Nepalis (not talking about KTM-based elite minority) don't have enough money to spend or desire to trek along the mountains for fun, so it will just be yet another failed program; b) It won't get Nepal any US dollars, which, like it or not, is important for it to be able to pay back the interest on its ADB, WB and what not loans.
3. If I were the author of this posting, I probably would've found it more appropriate use of my money to help the illiterate dishwasher boy at Lama Dai's Bhat Hotel in Deulekh get education, than offer competitive tips to an English-speaking maid in a Pokhara Lake-side hotel, who probably didn't expect or appreciate being tipped in Nepali currency.
Yours,
Echoes.
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| Hercules |
Posted
on 27-Sep-03 09:50 PM
bored2death has a very good point but seems like others did not understand very well. She is not saying that she can more money or she able to tip more than American or Australian. Also giving money to dishwasher is completely different subject.
I agree with her. Nepali tourism enterprenuers e.g. hotels, restaurants, airliners should target more nepali people/customers. In fact this has been already started from late 90s. It used to be hotels only for foreign tourists not anymore. There are more nepalis in restaurants in Nepal.
Hercules
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| Bhunte |
Posted
on 28-Sep-03 12:35 AM
Wait a sec, are we ready for tip culture yet? As echoes echoed earlier the view expressed above isnt representative whatsoever. So there is no issue of right or wrong here.
Sachhi bhanya maile tip napako dherai barsa bhayo. Khoi yespali ko Dashai ma tip jamma parne dhoko thiyo tei pani raharai bhayo...eheheh
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