A bill from a restaurant in the south of France has sparked widespread debate online and reignited discussions about overcharging in European tourist destinations.
A video of a bill from a restaurant in France, posted on Facebook by the Croatian Traveler page, quickly gathered more than 200,000 views and reignited the debate over prices in Croatian tourism.
In recent months, public opinion has intensively discussed the price hikes on the Croatian coast, but this post raised another question: how comparable are, in reality, the prices in other European tourist destinations to those in Croatia and whether such comparisons are, in fact, justified, writes Blic.
Along with the video of the tax receipt, the page administrator claimed that the press has been repeating the same idea for days: that only in Croatia it would be expensive.
“For days we have been seeing the same story in the press: that only here is expensive. We are not a third world country, and prices are not set out of malice. On the contrary, they are dictated by the law of supply and demand. To expect to pay for a bottle of water on the seafront of a major tourist resort for the same price as in Sisak only shows that the authors of such articles do not understand how prices are formed. This is a receipt from a restaurant in the south France. And I doubt that such news is headline in all the newspapers in France”he wrote.
“Comparison makes no sense”
The post generated hundreds of comments, with many users arguing that simply comparing prices is irrelevant if revenue is not taken into account.
“Okay, but why don’t you also say that the average salary in France is almost double ours? It’s not the same for a Frenchman to pay six euros for a bottle of water as it is for a Croatian. And we live in tourist destinations or do you think we are charged lower prices? Such comparisons with the West have no basis, because the locals pay the same prices, not only during the three months of the season, but all year round, and before the next season they increase again”one user commented.
Other users have shared their own experiences with prices in France.
“I don’t live in the south of France, about four hours away, but I once paid €4.70 for a can of Coca-Cola in a cafe near the visa application centre. In Paris it can be even more expensive. In Saint-Tropez I paid €110 for two Coca-Colas, two pizzas and a portion of scallops with fries at a restaurant”one user wrote.
High prices for drinks and food
Some commentators have mentioned that drinks have been expensive on the Croatian coast for years.
“In Split, a bottle of water already costs between four and five euros, depending on the place. The same goes for carbonated drinks”a comment reads.
There were also opinions that prices in Croatia were merely in line with those in the rest of Europe.
“Foreigners used to come on vacation to Croatia for years because they could spend less than in their own country. Now the prices have equalized and everyone is complaining. Objectively, everything has become more expensive everywhere”another user wrote.
Some commentators drew attention to the fact that even the dishes on the bill have prices close to those practiced in Croatian restaurants.
“And you don’t say anything about the prices of the food on the voucher? Salmon pasta costs 17 euros, and beef tartare 18 euros. They are the same prices as here, only that in France the incomes are several times higher”one user noted.
