Holiday expenses are one of the key factors for tourists when deciding about the destination for their vacation.This year, Bulgaria seems to be the cheapest destination for Europeans. Greece is not yet increasing its prices significantly. France on the other hand is rather expensive; and it is advisable not to break any rules in Italy as their fines are rather high.
Bulgaria, Tunisia, Slovakia, Croatia and also Greece belong among the cheaper tourism destinations for European tourists. Food is cheap in Tunisia and Egypt but services such as car renting or fees in amusement parks are more expensive there.
According to online newspaper Idnes.cz, a scoop of ice cream in Bulgaria or Slovakia costs about 30 eurocents whereas in France it can cost as much as 2 euros. The price naturally depends on the place where you buy it. An ice cream can cost 3 euros in the middle of Rome, however, if you buy it somewhere off the beaten track you can get it only for 1 euro.
Tour operators claim the prices in Greece did not change much in comparison with last year. However, it could change as the VAT and the consumer tax rise in July by 2 per cent. Services and food will probably not be affected be the higher taxes but gas, tobacco and alcohol certainly will.
It is advisable to take extra money on holiday for supplementary payments such as tourist attractions, beach deckchairs, souveniers or medications. For instance, additional charges on drugs in the Czech Republic are rather low, in Croatia they are usually 50 per cent of the actual price and in Italy you have to pay full price.
If you travel on your own there are also other costs involved such as road taxes in Austria or Slovenia or road tolls in Croatia. You should also put aside some money for fines, especially in Italy since they charge one of the highest fines there.