European travelers leaned toward Asia with its attractive hotel prices in 2013, according to the most recent Hotel Price Index published by Hotels.com, which indicates that the average price paid by travelers from Europe per room per night in Spanish hotels in 2013 was around 101 euros on average.
Asia captured the attention of European travelers, thanks to the competitive prices of its hotels. Muscat continued to be the destination where Europeans paid the most, some 234 euros, while Capri took second place among the most expensive destinations in Europe, with the highest average price at some 213 euros.
The list of the top five most expensive cities worldwide to travel to includes places like Rio de Janeiro (194 euros), Monte Carlo (194 euros), and New York (190 euros).
Asia Attracts Tourists
The Asian continent has become an attractive option, and this is shown on the price table, where Asian destinations hold seven of the top ten places where European travelers paid the lowest prices on average: Bangkok (63 euros), Pattaya (57 euros), Ho Chi Minh City (54 euros), Chiang Mai (53 euros), Siem Reap (45 euros), Phnom Pehn (43 euros), and Hanoi (41 euros).
Bali and Seoul were other destinations that suffered substantial drops, since both of them fell by 17%, reaching 88 euros and 102 euros respectively.
In addition, monetary devaluations contributed to the drops in Mumbai, -10% to 100 euros, -12% in Kyoto to 95 euros, and -9% in Tokyo, to 98 euros.
In Hong Kong, hotel prices have been experiencing continual growth for a few years, but in 2013, new hotel openings increased and the average price paid decreased by 5%, to 145 euros.
Singapore was the Asian destination in the report where European tourists paid the greatest average price per night, even though it recorded a fall of 2%, to 149 euros.
Goa was one of only four states that grew in the area, by 12%, to 77 euros, followed by Phuket, which grew by 10% until reaching 84 euros, and Shanghai, by 7%, to 81 euros.
Recovery in Europe
In Europe, three capitals that had witnessed price collapses during the economic crisis have also seen a change: Reykjavik grew by 17% to 120 euros, Dublin by 11% to 88 euros, and Athens by 5% to 79 euros.
Various quick-trip destinations have also had good results. Vilnius witnessed an increase of 11% to 71 euros, although the Lithuanian capital continues to be last on the general price list in Europe, which is the same as three other destinations: Riga, one of the European Culture Capitals, which rose by 9%, Budapest by 7%, and Alicante by 3%. Bruges noted a recovery of 9%, to 120 euros, and Florence recorded the same percentage increase, bringing it to an average of 115 euros.
Among the few that recorded drops, Kiev did so by 19% to 100 euros, making prices return to more normal levels after the UEFA European Cup in June 2012, and Warsaw, the other venue, fell 2% to 76 euros.
Capri, the second-best European destination of the report, fell 16% to 203 euros, and Geneva fell 7% to 163 euros.