Perception of Foreign Tourists on Dual-Pricing of Entrance Fees: Case of Sri Lankan Tourists Destinations

Abstract

Dual-pricing is a strategy used in a number of avenues with respect to consumer pricing. Adopting this pricing policy on the entrance fees for tourists' destinations is a heavily argued concern among travelers and industry critics. Rationales to reject and embrace dual-pricing have been highlighted, while the matter is more prominent in the global south countries in comparison to the western nations. Previous studies on dual-pricing have often adopted a contingency valuation method or a prospect theory to determine willingness to pay. This study is· based on a qualitative approach to understand the perception of foreign tourists on the dual pricing policy for entrance fees at tourists' sites in Sri Lanka using a thematic analysis. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Themes of; Agree to pay a higher price, Transparency and visibility of information, Extremely high should not be charged, Dual pricing gap should be reasonable, The invested amount should go into a sustainable initiatives - infrastructure, were derived with balanced opinions on the issue at hand. It was deemed that the findings of this study is helpful in strategizing future pricing policies with regards to the tourism sector in the country.