Bangkok and Belfast Offer Best Value for Brits
By Tripadvisor, PRNEWednesday, July 20, 2011
LONDON, July 21, 2011 -
TripAdvisor‘s TripIndex
Reveals Where Your Holiday Pound Goes
the Furthest
TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest travel site*, today
launches its inaugural TripIndex - a cost comparison of key tourist
cities around the world and in the UK, tracked against the British
pound.
TripAdvisor’s TripIndex is based on the combined cost of one
night’s accommodation (four star hotel), a common food item
(pizza), an alcoholic cocktail (dry martini) and a taxi journey in
each destination.
Beating 49 rival cities, Bangkok is revealed as the best value
international city for British travellers, with its total TripIndex
cost coming in at £69. The most expensive city in the list, Paris,
came in at £268 - nearly four times more expensive than Bangkok.
Belfast came out as the UK’s best value city. Its total
TripIndex cost came to £107, less than half the cost of the UK’s
most expensive city, London.
“We’ve developed TripIndex to help travellers accurately set
holiday budget expectations,” commented TripAdvisor spokesperson
Emma O’Boyle. ”For instance, a British traveller in Sofia can
expect to spend a fraction of what a traveller to Paris would spend
on the same holiday items.”
Hotels & Taxis Set Destinations
Apart
Affordability in the ten cheapest destinations is most evident
in hotel and taxi costs:
- One night in a four-star hotel in Bangkok is just £53 -
compared to over £145 for the ten most expensive destinations. - While a five mile taxi journey costs just £2 or £3 in many of
the ten cheapest destinations, the same journey costs over £20 in
the likes of Zurich and Tokyo.
This TripIndex is based on the current exchange rate and applies
to travel between June and August 2011 with hotel prices based on
the average cost of a four star hotel found on TripAdvisor, via
multiple partner booking sites.
Stretch your Pound in Europe and Beyond
Asia emerged as the most affordable continent, claiming three of
the ten most affordable cities for British travellers, with Bangkok
number one, followed by Beijng. Perhaps surprisingly, Dubai,
destination of choice for footballers and the jet-set crowd, made
it into the top 10 at tenth place.
For those looking to stay within Europe, TripIndex reveals that
Sofia in Bulgaria and Budapest in Hungary both offer excellent
value against the pound, coming in at fifth and sixth places
respectively.
Splash the cash
At the other end of the scale, Paris, Zurich, Tokyo, London and
New York comprise the five most expensive cities for British
travellers according to TripIndex.
Belfast Best for Value
TripIndex unveils Belfast as the UK’s best-value city break.
With one night in a four-star hotel coming in at £81 and a
total TripIndex cost of £107, it narrowly beats Liverpool and is
less than half the cost of London.
“Cost, and in particular value for money, is one of the most
important considerations for travellers. By examining the same four
holiday items, including the all important hotel cost, TripIndex
allows travellers to make an educated decision as to whether a
destination is right for them,” continued TripAdvisor’s Emma
O’Boyle.
TripIndex:
Best Value International Cities
Dry
City Martini
Hotel (GBP) Taxi (GBP) Pizza (GBP) (GBP) Total (GBP)
1. Bangkok GBP53.19 GBP1.54 GBP8.54 GBP6.18 GBP69.46
2. Beijing GBP60.81 GBP2.49 GBP3.73 GBP7.47 GBP74.50
3. Sharm El
Sheikh GBP64.52 GBP2.08* GBP3.60 GBP9.37 GBP79.57
4. Kuala Lumpur GBP65.64 GBP2.07 GBP6.82 GBP8.62 GBP83.15
5. Sofia GBP70.97 GBP2.40 GBP5.40 GBP5.40 GBP84.17
6. Budapest GBP72.76 GBP7.25 GBP4.05** GBP4.89 GBP88.96
7. Auckland GBP63.52 GBP14.19 GBP5.17 GBP8.36 GBP91.24
8. Marrakech GBP74.55 GBP1.56* GBP7.71 GBP7.79 GBP91.62
9. Warsaw GBP72.49 GBP6.54 GBP6.51 GBP6.54 GBP92.08
10.Dubai GBP79.71 GBP3.21 GBP6.41 GBP6.41 GBP95.75
Most Expensive International Cities
Dry
City Martini
Hotel (GBP) Taxi (GBP) Pizza (GBP) (GBP) Total (GBP)
1. Paris GBP224.83 GBP7.77 GBP13.11 GBP22.00 GBP267.71
2. Zurich GBP190.84 GBP25.90 GBP12.06** GBP6.85 GBP235.64
3. London GBP185.96 GBP20.00 GBP11.99 GBP14.00 GBP231.95
4. Tokyo GBP168.98 GBP23.42 GBP22.00 GBP16.50 GBP230.89
5. New York City GBP201.32 GBP7.76 GBP7.44 GBP11.17 GBP227.69
6. Rio de Janeiro GBP192.65 GBP4.15 GBP9.46 GBP8.67 GBP214.93
7. Moscow GBP187.78 GBP5.52 GBP7.51 GBP13.25 GBP214.06
8. Kiev GBP191.92 GBP2.72 GBP6.06 GBP5.05 GBP205.74
9. Amsterdam GBP145.45 GBP18.48 GBP18.70 GBP11.44 GBP194.06
10. Stockholm GBP157.29 GBP8.31 GBP16.24 GBP11.46 GBP193.30
UK Cities
City Dry Martini
Hotel (GBP) Taxi (GBP) Pizza (GBP) (GBP) Total (GBP)
1. Belfast GBP81.48 GBP8.06 GBP10.50 GBP6.50 GBP106.54
2. Liverpool GBP87.22 GBP9.20 GBP10.95 GBP8.25* GBP115.62
3. Cardiff GBP96.02 GBP10.14 GBP10.95 GBP5.95 GBP123.06
4. Glasgow GBP104.10 GBP9.40 GBP10.95 GBP6.95 GBP131.40
5. Manchester GBP104.04 GBP11.40 GBP10.95 GBP9.50 GBP135.89
6. Bath GBP115.85 GBP11.15 GBP10.95 GBP12.00 GBP149.95
7. Edinburgh GBP140.56 GBP11.00 GBP10.95 GBP11.50 GBP174.01
8. London GBP183.04 GBP20.00 GBP10.95 GBP14.00 GBP227.99
The full TripIndex is available at
More on TripIndex
The hotel cost - one of a traveller’s biggest concerns when
setting a holiday budget - is based on data from many TripAdvisor
partners, including online travel agencies and direct hotel
suppliers, for travel between June and August 2011, providing a
highly accurate index.
Notes to Editors
The international TripIndex destination list comprises key
cities from each of the 50 countries which received the largest
number of international tourist arrivals in 2010 (data compiled by
the UNWTO - United Nations World Tourism Organisation)
TripIndex prices out the following items in each
destination:
- Per night cost a four-star hotel (between June and August
2011) - Cost of five mile taxi
- Cost of an alcoholic cocktail (dry martini)
- Cost of a meal (large cheese pizza)
Prices were collected through a variety of research methods as
outlined below. Prices were taken in local currencies between
May and July 2011 and converted to GBP on 14th July
2011. The ‘basket’ of items - one night’s accommodation, a
five-mile taxi journey, a large cheese pizza and a dry martini -
are representative of the common items many travellers will
purchase while on holiday. To achieve the highest possible
level of accuracy, prices were individually researched in local
currency and converted into sterling.
Hotels: Hotel prices shown specify the average cost of a
four-star hotel found on TripAdvisor (via partner booking sites
such as online travel agencies and direct hotel suppliers) in each
destination for the summer travel period (June-August 2011).
On average, 45 hotels were price-checked to identify the
average cost of one night’s accommodation in each city
Dry Martini: Dry Martini prices shown specify the cost of
a traditional dry martini in the main/largest bar in a top-rated
five-star hotel on TripAdvisor in each destination. In the
one destination (Liverpool) where a five-star hotel was not listed
on TripAdvisor, a top-rated four-star hotel was chosen.
Pizza: Pizza prices shown specify the cost of a large
cheese pizza from a globally-recognised chain in each
destination. In destinations where globally-recognised pizza
chains do not operate or are uncommon, an average cost was taken
from three local pizzerias.
Taxi: Taxi prices shown specify the cost of a five-mile
taxi journey (8km) in each destination. In most cases, data
was obtained from the local government or large taxi company
operating in the area. In the approximately 30% of
destinations where such information was not available, data was
obtained from destination specialists. Please note taxi
prices will vary according to a number of factors, including number
of passengers, pick-up/drop-off points, traffic, time of day,
method of booking, luggage, etc.
All prices shown are as quoted by source.
About TripAdvisor
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travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers
trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel
choices and planning features (including Flights search,
TripAdvisor Mobile and Instant Personalization) with seamless links
to booking tools.
TripAdvisor® Media Group, operated by TripAdvisor LLC, attracts
more than 50 million unique monthly visitors* across 19 popular
travel brands**. TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest
travel community in the world, with more than 40 million unique
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allows hoteliers to connect directly to millions of researching
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individual home owners list their properties and showcase hotel
alternatives.
TripAdvisor Media Group websites have been recognized as top
travel resources in 2010 by Condé Nast Traveller, Good
Housekeeping, TIME magazine and Travel + Leisure.
TripAdvisor Media Group generated $486 million in revenue in
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©2011 TripAdvisor LLC. All rights reserved.
*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Media Group
Sites, Worldwide, May 2011
** In addition to TripAdvisor, The TripAdvisor Media Group of
websites includes:
www.everytrail.com,
www.flipkey.com,
www.onetime.com,
www.travelpod.com,
,
and www.kuxun.cn
***Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites,
Worldwide, May 2011
**** TripAdvisor sites operate in 30 countries worldwide:
www.tripadvisor.ca,
www.tripadvisor.it,
www.tripadvisor.es,
www.tripadvisor.de,
www.tripadvisor.fr,
www.tripadvisor.jp,
www.daodao.com,
www.tripadvisor.dk,
www.tripadvisor.ie,
no.tripadvisor.com,
www.tripadvisor.tw,
and
For more information contact Laurel Greatrix: lgreatrix at tripadvisor.com / +44(0)777-801-3639
Tags: July 21, London, TripAdvisor, United Kingdom
