NEWTON, Mass., May 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor®, the world's largest travel site*, today reveals the results of its TripIndex Soccer, a cost-comparison of what travelers headed to Brazil for the upcoming soccer tournament will spend in each of the 12 host cities. According to the TripIndex, Rio de Janeiro is the most expensive city to visit, while fans traveling to watch the U.S. team's group round matches will find the biggest savings in Natal.

The TripIndex examines the average daily cost that travelers headed to Brazil will likely incur in each of the 12 Brazilian host cities - Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Cuiaba, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Manaus, Natal, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Sao Paulo - including the price of one ticket to a group round match, a one-night hotel stay, taxi rides to and from the match, dinner and a snack.

"With U.S. traveler interest in Brazilian host cities up nearly 80 percent on TripAdvisor year-over-year, it seems Americans are eager to join in on the soccer celebrations and take in the countries' sites," said Brooke Ferencsik, director of communications for TripAdvisor. "However, the increased demand means travelers should budget more for a stay in Brazil, with hotel prices more than doubling since last year."

Overall Most and Least Expensive Brazilian Host Cities

• With an estimated daily cost of $682, Rio de Janeiro is the most expensive city among the 12 hosts, followed by Fortaleza ($602) and Manaus ($554).
• Cuiaba is the least expensive host city at $457. Sao Paulo ($477) and Porto Alegre ($485) round out the top three most affordable cities.

For Fans Traveling to Watch the U.S. Team, Natal is the Most Affordable Option

• Of the three Brazilian cities that will host the U.S. team's group stage matches, Natal, where the opening match against Ghana will be played on June 16, is the most affordable at an average cost of $532 per day.
• Manaus, which will host the second U.S. match against Portugal on June 22, is also the most expensive for U.S. fans to visit at an average daily cost of $554.
• The U.S. will face off in Recife against Germany for its third and final group stage match, and travelers headed to the game can expect to pay $541 per day.

With Rising Traveler Interest, Hotel Rates Double in More than Half of the Host Cities

• Seven of the 12 host cities have seen hotel rates increase by 100 percent or more since the same period last year (Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Manaus, Curitiba, and Natal).
• Year-over-year interest from U.S. travelers on TripAdvisor has more than doubled in two of the cities where the U.S. team will play its opening matches (Natal, 112 percent; Recife, 167 percent).
• Despite not playing host to any of the U.S. team's group matches, Cuiaba received the largest increase in search from U.S. travelers (172 percent) but also offers the most affordable hotel rates ($218 per night).
• At $445 per night, hotel rates in Rio de Janeiro are the most expensive - 56 percent more than the other 11 host cities. While hotel rates have doubled in Rio, interest from U.S. travelers on TripAdvisor is up just 33 percent.
• With the smallest year-over-year increase in interest from U.S. travelers (19 percent), Sao Paulo also saw the smallest spike in hotel prices (53 percent) and has the second most affordable room rates ($219 per night).

TripIndex Soccer Costs, from Least to Most Expensive

Year-over-Year Increases in Hotel Prices and Interest from U.S. Travelers on TripAdvisor

Methodology

Hotel prices reflect the average nightly rate of a 3-4 star hotel found on TripAdvisor, taken from a minimum of three hotels in each destination. Prices were sourced on May 6 in USD using TripAdvisor's Hotel Price Comparison for the following dates:

• Belo Horizonte: June 14 - July 9
• Brasilia: June 15 - July 13
• Cuiaba: June 12 - June 25
• Curitiba:  June 15 - June 27
• Fortaleza: June 14 - July 5
• Manaus: June 13 - June 25
• Natal: June 12 - June 24
• Porto Alegre: June 15 - July 1
• Recife: June 14 - June 30
• Rio de Janeiro: June 15 - July 14
• Salvador: June 13 - July 6
• Sao Paulo: June 12 - July 10

¹Year-over-Year % Increase in Hotel Prices reflects the average nightly rate price increase between 2013 and 2014 for the above noted periods in each host city destination.

²Year-over-Year % Increase in Interest on TripAdvisor from U.S. Travelers reflects the average increase in share-of-search traffic on TripAdvisor from travelers in the U.S. to each of the host cities, comparing December 2012 - April 2013 with December 2013 - April 2014 (representing pre- and post match draw dates).

Additional costs below were sourced between April 24 - May 1 in Brazilian Reals (BRL) and converted to U.S. Dollars (USD) on May 22.

Match Ticket prices reflect the cost of a category 1 ticket to a match during the 3-match group stage.
*Ticket cost for the opening game in Sao Paulo on June 12 is not included in order to ensure an even comparison.

Dinner prices reflect the average cost of an appetizer, entree and a glass of house wine from top rated, mid-range restaurants on TripAdvisor in each destination. Average prices were taken from a minimum of three mid-range restaurants in each destination.

Snack prices reflect the average cost of a soda and French fries from mid-range bars located listed on TripAdvisor near the host stadiums in each destination. Average prices were taken from a minimum of three mid-range bars in each destination.

Taxi prices reflect the approximate cost of two taxi journeys of five kilometers each way. Data was taken from local authorities, taxi companies, and/or travel experts in each destination.

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor^® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling 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 with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching nearly 260 million unique monthly visitors**, and more than 150 million reviews and opinions covering more than 4 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 39 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 22 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com , www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com,  www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.tripbod.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com, www.virtualtourist.com , and www.kuxun.cn. 

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, Q1 2014

**Source: Google Analytics, average monthly unique users, Q1 2014; does not include traffic to daodao.com

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SOURCE TripAdvisor