Rates for locals different?

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gunslinger808

Registered
Messages
62
Reaction score
7
Location
Honolulu, HI
# of dives
500 - 999
I want some feed back from divers in the Philippines. The area specific is Puerto Galera. I want to know if you locals pay the same room & dive rates as a visitor from the United States or any other place? ( just so I do not have anyone feel left out )

My mother lives in Manila and tells me I should have her make the reservations from there because it will be cheaper. Since I am not about to go against my mothers wishes & no Filipino man in his right mind would go against his mothers wishes, I tell her OK.
But I am still curious to see if locals pay a lower rate then a visitor. I am not sure I would get a straight answer from a dive resort if I inquired. Please help out this transplanted pinoy & give me some sound advise.


Mahalo,


Mike
 
I want some feed back from divers in the Philippines. The area specific is Puerto Galera. I want to know if you locals pay the same room & dive rates as a visitor from the United States or any other place? ( just so I do not have anyone feel left out )

My mother lives in Manila and tells me I should have her make the reservations from there because it will be cheaper. Since I am not about to go against my mothers wishes & no Filipino man in his right mind would go against his mothers wishes, I tell her OK.
But I am still curious to see if locals pay a lower rate then a visitor. I am not sure I would get a straight answer from a dive resort if I inquired. Please help out this transplanted pinoy & give me some sound advise.


Mahalo,


Mike

chief, maybe, maybe not....its a business, of course there is always the published rate and maybe lower rate for preferred, returning guests.

try http://seariderdivecenter.com/ , check out his site, local instructor, am sure he provides same rates whether local or foreigner

cheers
 
I don't know about the larger resorts, but in general the smaller places owned and run by locals, will give cheaper prices to locals. This was my experience when I live in Cebu- I was a 'Cano but fairly well known locally (mainly because I was younger than 30 and didn't slag off the 'natives'.
 
Pretty much everything is negotiable in PG, especially if it's not high season. I just booked a room (in Nov) for 20% of the rack rate just by e-mailing back and asking for a discount after they gave me the standard rate. If you want the best rates, turn up and walk around & haggle in person. A lot of places offer cheaper rates if you don't use the AC which apart from the middle of the year is usually fine (fan only).

Most dives shops will do package deals especially if you are doing a training course, and of course if you bring your own gear, that's cheaper too

That's no different to any other part of the world really

OTOH most pinoys seem to be a distant cousin, friend or in-law of a million others, so that doesn't hurt when it comes to getting the best prices
 
I dont believe there is a unwritten "local" discount. I think it is all driven by anticipated vacancy rate, season or whether the visitor is a returning guest. The real trick is asking for a discount, as you are aware many Americans never ask for discounts...


I have traveled all over the Philippines and my wife who speaks fluent Tagalog and Visayan generally gets the same rate as others(until we ask for the discount)..

Cheers,
Roger.
 
Just practice saying "Walana bang tawad?"

Or you could also try "Gustados malaki puet, walang bula bula"
 
I want some feed back from divers in the Philippines. The area specific is Puerto Galera. I want to know if you locals pay the same room & dive rates as a visitor from the United States or any other place? ( just so I do not have anyone feel left out )

My mother lives in Manila and tells me I should have her make the reservations from there because it will be cheaper. Since I am not about to go against my mothers wishes & no Filipino man in his right mind would go against his mothers wishes, I tell her OK.
But I am still curious to see if locals pay a lower rate then a visitor. I am not sure I would get a straight answer from a dive resort if I inquired. Please help out this transplanted pinoy & give me some sound advise.


Mahalo,


Mike

Mike,

We (I am Pinoy not currently living in Pinas), are used to always trying to get the best price. It is a cultural thing which is not bad but sometimes other people go overboard with it. I know that some establishments may offer a better deal to locals but most have a standard pricing scheme for high, low and shoulder seasons that apply to all. In places such as Mexico where there is some sort of national ID system, one can claim to be a local and avail of a local-only rate at top resorts. There is no such system in the Philippines and any foreigner or even a Pinoy can have a fake ID made that shows he's a local. If I were a dive op business in Pinas, I will have a difficult time qualifying who's local and who's not. There's just no way especially if my business caters to mostly foreigners.

For me, I make my reservations based on what I can afford. A $35/night room that is clean and with A/C and TV is a very good deal for a single traveller and a superb deal for 2 travellers sharing one room. Try to find a room like that in the U.S. or Canada, in your dreams! In cases like this, I no longer try to haggle because the gain is really miniscule for our standards. As long as I see good value for my money (being aware of levels of standards in Pinas) and I can afford it, I am good with it.

If you are living in Pinas, you can try to get a local rate to stretch your hard-earned peso as far as you can. I would do the same thing. However, for those living and earning money in other places in the world, whatever local rate you get just equates to minimal savings and not worth the hassle. Also, I don't want to carry a lie behind my back because I pretend to be a local when I am actually a balikbayan just visiting for pleasure or business just to gain a few more pesos in savings. The local word that applies is being 'barat' or stingy.

Now, if you plan to stay at a resort for weeks and months then that's a different story. Haggling makes very good sense in this case. Also, haggling is useful if you know you're being ripped-off by an establishment or vendor. You do need some local sense of things to know when and when not to haggle. Else, they'll just label you as 'super-barat'!
 
Thank you som much for the advise. Yes, I know "making tawad" very well. I tend not to do that because I am used to paying the actual price here in Hawaii. I will definately ask for a discount & go from there. Good advise on over all. I do not mind paying the listed prices, I did that when I went to Mactan & Coron. But I always get the question from my Nanay, "how much did I pay & did I ask for a discount?" I tell her when it comes to a guide underwater & my life & safety, I will pay regular price. :D I always get positive feedback from SB. Thanks
 

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