Imagine going to a restaurant and being handed a different menu than other diners. The menu is identical in every way to the others, save for the prices, which are three times higher. This would never happen in New York, Toronto, or Sydney, but it happens routinely in Cozumel, Mexico, and a lot of other places in the developing world. The reason you were given the pricier menu is that you were deemed to be a foreigner from your appearance. If that isn’t discrimination, what is?

Photo courtesy of Karl-Erik Bennion

This unjust practice isn’t limited to restaurants. It’s also commonly used to gouge foreigners for a hotel room, entrance fees to national parks, and even for airline tickets, to name a few. For example, virtually every quality hotel in Buenos Aires (Argentina) will charge a room rate that’s higher for foreign nationals.  It’s also routine for national parks in Mexico and Colombia to charge higher gate fees to non-nationals. I’m only giving examples that resulted from my own experiences, but I suspect that this money grab isn’t limited to the locales I mentioned.

Businesses who engage in such ludicrous behavior may actually be violating local laws, but as enforcement of such regulations is usually very poor (and corrupted) in the developing world, they do so with virtual impunity. The one situation that made me most furious amongst all was that Lan, the big South American airline, charges higher airfares for foreigners traveling within Argentina, where I reckon they’re permitted to do so. I will think twice before flying with them again!

There are some things you can do to defend against such practices. In the case of the restaurants, ask them for the “menu local” (local menu), which is what the other patrons have in their hands. Point-out in a friendly way that you’re a resident if you need to, and if you’re rebuked, just eat elsewhere, no matter how great their shrimp cocktail is! For hotels, have someone who’s a national reserve for you, and avoid using credit cards, which would identify you as a foreigner. If you’re given a rough time, ask for the manager and nicely request that you be treated fairly and pay the resident rate. You could try the same strategy with the airlines and other types of businesses, and if you know that what they’re doing is illegal, you could bring up that fact to great effect. I would be very careful not to escalate the tone of any dispute, especially with those who handle your food!

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