A foreign tourist's video questioning the higher entry fee charged to foreign visitors at Delhi's Dilli Haat has sparked a debate on social media, with users comparing the practice with differential fees charged to international students and tourists in Western countries.
In the Instagram video shared by foreign tourist Tyler Blunden, he pointed towards a ticket-rate board at Dilli Haat showing different entry fees for Indian visitors and foreigners. According to the ticket board, the entry fee listed is ₹30 for adults, ₹20 for children aged 5-12, and ₹100 for foreigners.
"Look at that, guys. I've got to pay a different price from everybody else. If they did that in the UK, that would be called racism. But here, it's alright," he said in the video. "Racism in India?" read the text on the clip.
(Also Read: Foreigner says Bengaluru is ‘living in the future’, ranks Karnataka as his favourite state)
How did social media react?
{{/usCountry}}(Also Read: Foreigner says Bengaluru is ‘living in the future’, ranks Karnataka as his favourite state)
How did social media react?
{{/usCountry}}The video prompted several users to question Blunden's comparison of differential pricing with racism. One user asked, "So foreign universities charging double fees to international students is racism?"
Another pointed to the higher tuition fees paid by international students, saying, "Have you checked the tuition fees in your university? They have separate section called international students, that charges way more than what locals pay. So tit for tat."
"Indian student pay 3 times fees in Western countries and still being attacked," wrote a third user.
"If paying less than 1 Euro for you feels like racism then why do you guys charge 3x more to students who want to come to your nations as students, considering that most of the Indians have much smaller disposable income than Europeans, I hope you understand the math here," said another.
"It's so basic. This place is maintained by the tax of Indians. That's why indians have to pay less. Get a good college after returning from india," wrote one user
One user also noted that differential pricing for foreign visitors is not unique to India. "It's done in Europe too. They charge extra for non-EU tourists," the user wrote.