Local authorities tightened rules against local businesses yesterday after tourists complained about beach chairs being too expensive on Hua Hin Beach.
The Deputy Mayor of the Hua Hin Municipality, Butsaba Choksuchart, brought the issue to light after tourists made known that beach chairs they rented near Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin were more expensive for them than it is for locals.
Chairs are priced at 30 baht per chair for locals but tourists are being overcharged by more than double the price in most cases.
Butsaba yesterday invited representatives from 22 shops and restaurants nearby the beach to discuss the matter.
Each representative admitted that they did overcharge the tourists, adding that they needed to do so because food and equipment costs had increased, as had employee wages.
They pleaded with the authorities to let them increase the chair rental price but Butsaba refused their request saying that the price they were charging was too expensive. She suggested an alternative solution of trying to encourage tourists to order more food.
Butsaba requested that each representative drafts a reason for the price increase and submit it to the authorities for reconsideration.
Butsaba emphasised that each shop must keep the chair price at 30 baht per chair until the authority makes any official changes.
The local businesses were also warned to keep the beach tidy and clean and sell food to tourists at a reasonable price.