Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Paying for the view with higher gas prices

This idea is definitely not new - river/ocean view rooms tend to cost more. Resorts/hotels in places with great views can charge more without having to provide much in terms of service/cleanliness/value. This article in the NYT seems to indicate that almost everything is more expensive in places with wonderful views.

Locals have gotten used to paying a lot for a little, as almost everything has to be trucked in from big towns up and down the coast. A twelve-pack of Budweiser costs nearly $15, and a small coffee at the general store is more expensive than at the average Starbucks. ... “You’re paying for the view,” said Brian Boyer, another of the service attendants at Amerigo. “And the entertainment.” ... And Gorda is not alone in pricey petrol along the coast. In Cambria, 35 miles south, the price of regular at the Chevron station was $3.95 on Tuesday. In Big Sur, the tourist-friendly hideaway 40 miles north, a gallon of regular went for $4.80 at one Shell station.

It's more than just the view that makes everything cost more - it's also the remoteness. I'm thinking of small island economies that need to have everything shipped in e.g. Maldives, Fiji, or closer to the U.S. the smaller Hawaiian Islands and other more small islands (San Juan Islands?) or remote (usually landlocked) countries like Bhutan, Nepal, Liechstenstein(?)

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