Top European destinations more expensive for cash-strapped Brits
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Due in part to sterling falling to a six-year low against most major currencies, new data from Hotels.com shows that UK travellers paid more for their hotel rooms overseas in 90% of their 100 most popular international destinations in 2016, compared with 2015.
Among the cities analysed in the latest HPI the average price paid by Brits for a room in 2016 at top outbound destinations was £100, compared to £92 the year before.
Many of these increases affected travellers to Europe, with top cities including Dublin (from £95 to £114), Barcelona (from £97 to £112) and Reykjavik (from £96 to £130) all showing significant price increases from the previous year.
Selected European destinations that saw significant price increases in 2016
| CITY | Rank in top 100 hotels in 2016 | Price paid by Brits in 2016 | Price paid by Brits in 2015 | Percentage increase YoY |
| Dublin | 4 | 114 | 95 | 21% |
| Barcelona | 6 | 112 | 97 | 16% |
| Madrid | 15 | 92 | 82 | 13% |
| Tenerife | 16 | 112 | 99 | 13% |
| Copenhagen | 18 | 124 | 107 | 16% |
| Stockholm | 21 | 120 | 106 | 14% |
| Lisbon | 31 | 89 | 78 | 14% |
| Lanzarote | 40 | 97 | 78 | 24% |
| Gran Canaria | 43 | 103 | 82 | 26% |
| Reykjavik | 44 | 130 | 96 | 35% |
| Dusseldorf | 47 | 110 | 88 | 24% |
| Santorini | 62 | 142 | 121 | 18% |
| Marbella | 65 | 138 | 119 | 16% |
| Malaga | 77 | 83 | 69 | 19% |
| Cork | 83 | 92 | 74 | 24% |
Despite increases in global prices for British travellers, Brits continued to travel to all corners of the globe. The 10 most popular destinations in 2016 included New York, Bangkok and Dubai. Interestingly, Paris topped the list as the most popular destination for Brits last year. The United States, Spain and France ranked as the top three countries Brits most visited last year.
Most popular city destinations in 2016:
| Paris |
| Amsterdam |
| New York |
| Dublin |
| Berlin |
| Barcelona |
| Rome |
| Bangkok |
| Dubai |
| Mallorca |
Isabelle Pinson, VP, EMEA for Hotels.com brand, commented: “While the British Pound didn’t stretch as far in 2016 compared to 2015, that clearly hasn’t stopped UK travellers from spreading their wings rather than burrowing in until the currency’s fortunes improve. Fortunately, there was no shortage of worldwide destinations ready to offer them excellent value for money.”
Destinations where travellers paid the most/least in 2016:
Looking at the 100 most popular global cities Brits travelled to in 2016, Boston, Massachusetts, was the city where Brits spent the most on average for accommodation, pricing at £195 per night. This was followed closely by New York (£194) and San Francisco (£178). Meanwhile, some of the best value accommodation was to be found in Asia where Brits paid as little as £33 on average for a hotel room (Pattaya).
Popular cities where Brits paid the most in 2016 (country data available):
| City | Rank in the top 100 destinations | Average price 2016 (£) | Increase in average price in 2015 |
| New York | 3 | 194 | 7% |
| Dubai | 9 | 145 | 1% |
| San Francisco | 23 | 178 | 6% |
| Miami | 42 | 157 | 1% |
| Marbella | 65 | 138 | 16% |
| Boston | 75 | 195 | -2% |
| Washington | 76 | 165 | 12% |
| Los Angeles | 79 | 143 | 12% |
| Tel Aviv | 85 | 144 | 2% |
| Geneva | 87 | 160 | 11% |
Popular cities where Brits paid the least in 2016 (country data available):
| City | Country | Rank in the top 100 destinations | Average price 2016 (£) | Increase in average price in 2015 |
| Bangkok | Thailand | 8 | 56 | 3% |
| Pattaya | Thailand | 20 | 33 | -3% |
| Krakow | Poland | 34 | 62 | 9% |
| Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia | 35 | 59 | -6% |
| Istanbul | Turkey | 36 | 58 | -23% |
| Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam | 61 | 55 | 12% |
| Chiang Mai | Thailand | 67 | 40 | 8% |
| Hanoi | Vietnam | 73 | 42 | 4% |
| Riga | Latvia | 89 | 58 | 9% |
| Siem Reap | Cambodia | 92 | 43 | -1% |
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