EDINBURGH, Scotland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A study by Europe’s leading travel search site Skyscanner has shown there is a huge misconception between the perceived cost of holiday destinations and the actual costs.
The annual study of 30 popular holiday destinations revealed that India is perceived to be the cheapest country, when in fact it is Morocco. Germany was found to be the surprise bargain destination of the year.
Cheaper than perceived: Eurozone
With sterling reaching a four year high against the Euro, many popular destinations across the continent now offer much better value than perceived. Germany was perceived as the 12th most expensive of the 30; however it was found to be in the top ten cheapest resorts and becomes the second cheapest holiday inclusive of flights.
Spain was thought to be the 18th most expensive while its true value revealed it to be the 6th cheapest while Ireland was also significantly overestimated.
More expensive than perceived: The Americas
The Americas are prime examples of misconceptions with three out of four destinations actually featuring in the top ten most expensive. Brazil, thought to be the ninth cheapest country, is actually the second most expensive and becomes the number one most expensive destination when the cost of flights and hotels is factored in. Mexico, The USA and Canada were also found to be more expensive than travellers believed.
The flight effect
When the cost of flights is factored in, long haul destinations Brazil, New Zealand and Mexico take the top three spots in the overall cost ranking, while expensive destinations such as Sweden and Denmark actually become more affordable options, benefiting from low cost carrier routes.
How the UK performs
The study also reveals that a holiday in the UK is less expensive than many perceive but still more expensive than many European neighbours, including Spain and Portugal.
Skyscanner’s spokesperson Sam Poullain commented: “With cheap flights available across the UK, and the strength of the pound against the Euro, European destinations such as Germany, are our tip for the best value resort this year.”
Tables of country rankings can be found at Skyscanner.net/realvalue along with further details of the research.
About Skyscanner
Skyscanner is Europe’s leading travel search site providing instant online comparisons for millions of flights on over a thousand airlines