Mark
Interesting point and I can certainly appreciate your angle. However I would say that there is pricing tiers right throughout the golf industry no different to any other industry bound by market forces and your example found in Australiasia is but one. I could name many more - Full Playing member, International Member, Midweek Member, Associate Member, Members Guest, Affilliated Members Guest, Member residing within 100miles of the course, Member residing outside of 100 miles, unaccompanied guest, high season, low season. I am sure possibly that your own club may have some of these pricing tiers in some form? I guess market forces will dictate and each tier will reflect the potential to attract custom or reflect the level of use, demand or repeat business in many cases. I am not sure that it is a case of the International player affording to pay more rather the Club meeting the value placed on it by the market.
With regards to flights, hire cars and accomodation, I would say that all of those industries regularly use price scaling that reflects those same market forces and demand. I think if we flew on the same plane ride, hired two similar cars and stayed in the same hotel it would not be unusual to incur different total costs.
Lastly I am not sure that the local market is fragile rather the local market is just that - the local market and the prices are set accordingly to meet the demand or attract business if desirable.