The Con of ‘Discounted Attraction Tickets’

When you visit a new city or country, there tends to be a thousand and one things you want to see, try and do. The adventures to be had in somewhere new and unknown are seemingly never-ending; from museums and art galleries, right through to theme parks and thrill-seeking attractions, every day can be a new experience when you are traveling

If some of the places and attractions you intend to visit are ticketed, one way to make the day even more special is to look for discounted tickets. We all like to save a bit of money, get something for nothing or enjoy a substantial discount – and we don’t leave that desire at home when we go on holiday. If we can visit the sights and sounds of our vacation place without paying full dollar for them, we probably will.

This is where the problems can begin for the bargain-hunting tourist. In a scam that is becoming more popular by the day, ‘discount ticket agents’ have set themselves up on the streets of some of the world’s biggest cities. Usually armed with official-looking ID and sometimes even a uniform, they will tell tourists who happen to meet them of a fantastic promotion to visit an attraction, museum or other form of entertainment.

The ‘promotion’ is usually some kind of discount; money off, kids go free or something similar. Thinking they’ve found a bargain, the tourist buys the reduced-price ticket for the attraction and happily goes on their way – only to discover that the museum or art gallery is free to enter! It’s a clever scam with little payback for the street sellers, who of course will be gone should you return to confront them.

Thankfully, avoiding the scam is simple: don’t buy tickets from street sellers, no matter how good the deal looks or how official they appear.