NEWTON, Mass., June 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor^®, the world's largest travel site*, today unveiled TripIndex Cities 2013, the third annual cost comparison of an evening out and overnight stay for two people in popular cities around the world.

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TripAdvisor TripIndex Cities is tracked against the U.S. dollar and is based on the combined costs for two for a one night stay in a four-star hotel, cocktails, a two-course dinner paired with a bottle of wine, and round-trip taxi transportation (two miles each way). Costs reflect summer rates (June 1 — August 31, 2013).

Among TripIndex Cities, Honolulu rings up the biggest tab as the most expensive U.S. destination with a TripIndex cost of $504.94, while Las Vegas offers the most affordable stay at $272.94. Oslo, Norway comes in as the costliest global city at $581.08, nearly four times the price of a night spent in Sofia, Bulgaria, the best bargain on the world list at $158.42.

Hotels Hike Prices and Honolulu Hops Spots
The TripIndex shows the U.S. average nightly rate for a four-star hotel has risen 18 percent since the 2012 summer travel period.¹ 

The U.S. cities with the largest increase in summer hotel prices, 2012-2013:

1. Orlando           +33%
2. Denver            +32%
3. Honolulu          +29%
4. Los Angeles    +29%
5. Seattle             +26%

With the third largest increase in year-over-year hotel rates a contributing factor, Honolulu jumped four spots from last year and is now the most expensive U.S. city on the list, leapfrogging New York City, Boston, and San Francisco, the top three priciest places in 2012.

Head South for Savings
For the third consecutive year, the South is the most affordable region in America with five of the 10 least expensive TripIndex cities: Miami (#2), Dallas (#3), Atlanta (#4), New Orleans (#6) and Houston (#7).  Travelers visiting these bargain belles can expect to shell out an average of $336.44, compared to the national average of $398.95.

Affordable Asia
Asia is featured heavily in the 10 most affordable international destinations, claiming four cities in total. Hanoi, Vietnam (#2), Bangkok, Thailand (#6), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (#7) and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (#10). With an average cost of $203.79, these Asian escapes offer substantial savings as compared to the TripIndex world average of $321.70.

European Expenses
Europe is home to the most expensive international cities with six of the top 10 destinations: Oslo, Norway (#1), Zurich, Switzerland (#2), Stockholm, Sweden (#3), Paris, France (#5), London, England (#7)  and Copenhagen, Denmark (#8). Travelers committed to traveling to Europe can find affordable escapes with Sofia, Bulgaria; Warsaw, Poland and Budapest, Hungary all within the top five least expensive international cities, coming in respectively at first, third, and fifth.

TripIndex Cities Fun Facts

• Travelers can rest their heads for one night in a Honolulu hotel ($389.36) or stay three nights in a Las Vegas hotel for nearly the same price ($135.94, per night)
• For the price of a round-trip taxi ride in London, England ($41.47) travelers can make a similar journey nearly 20 times in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ($2.13, each)
• Two travelers can dine out twice in Taipei, Taiwan ($44.86, dinner for two) for the same price as two rounds of cocktails in Seoul, South Korea ($44.50, two cocktails)

"With travelers' sights set on summer escapes, TripIndex has identified world class cities where visitors can get the biggest bang for their buck," said Brooke Ferencsik, director of communications at TripAdvisor. "Although hotel prices are on the rise this summer, travelers looking for deals can find exceptional value for accommodations in popular American destinations such as Las Vegas, Miami and New Orleans."

TripIndex U.S. Cities

Least Expensive:

Most Expensive:

TripIndex International Cities
Least Expensive:

Most Expensive:

The full TripIndex Cities U.S. list is available at:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/InfoCenter-a_ctr.TripIndex_Cities_2013_US_Local   

The full TripIndex Cities world list is available at:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/InfoCenter-a_ctr.TripIndex_Cities_2013_US

Notes to Editors:
The international TripIndex Cities 2013 destination list comprises popular cities from 49 of the 50 countries which receive the largest number of international visitor arrivals (data compiled by the UNWTO). The U.S. TripIndex list consists of 20 popular editorially selected cities, focused on large and popular tourism markets.

TripIndex prices out the following items in each destination to represent the cost of a night out for two people:

• One night's accommodation in a four-star hotel
• Cocktails for two people
• Dinner for two (two courses and a bottle of house wine)
• Round-trip taxi transportation (two taxi journeys of two miles each)

Prices were collected through a variety of research methods as outlined below. Prices were taken in local currencies between March and April 2013 and converted into USD on April 19, 2013.

Hotels: Prices specify the average cost per night of a room at 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 1 - August 31, 2013).

Cocktails for two: Prices specify the average cost of two traditional dry martinis from a top-rated five-star hotel bar on TripAdvisor in each destination.

Dinner for two: Prices specify the average cost of a two-course meal (appetizer and main course) for two people with a bottle of house (or cheapest available) white wine (prices averaged from three mid-range restaurants in each destination). 

Return taxi trip: Prices specify the approximate cost of two taxi journeys of two miles each (representing an evening's round-trip transportation).  Data was taken from local authorities, taxi companies, and destination travel experts.

¹ Average national percent change of nightly hotel rate calculated using data from 15 U.S. cities surveyed in both 2012 and 2013 TripIndex Cities. Five U.S. cities (Houston, Miami, Philadelphia, Portland and San Diego) were added to the TripIndex Cities 2013 and were not factored into this calculation.

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, with more than 200 million unique monthly visitors**, and over 100 million reviews and opinions covering more than 2.5 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 30 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 20 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com,  www.onetime.com,www.seatguru.com, www.sniqueaway.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com, www.whereivebeen.com, and www.kuxun.cn. 

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, April 2013

**Source: Google Analytics, worldwide data, May 2013

©2013 TripAdvisor, Inc. All rights reserved. 

SOURCE TripAdvisor