London – March 12, 2008 – TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest travel community, today announced the results of its annual survey about travellers views and opinions on European cities. There were mixed results for London in the survey, which involved more than 1,100 travellers worldwide. It revealed that London is the top choice for TripAdvisor travellers in and to Europe this year and it appears they are willing to pay a premium for the privilege, as the city was also considered to be the most expensive by a whopping 41 percent. On the minus side London also topped the poll of grime, being voted the dirtiest in Europe by 13 percent, with Paris (nine percent) coming second and Rome and Athens tying for third place (7.5 percent).
London retained its place as the number one city in Europe among TripAdvisor travellers for nightlife and was also voted the best in Europe for public parks. And, despite its expensive price tag London was the runner-up city in best for shopping with 26 percent just coming second to Paris (28 percent).
Other results in the survey placed Brussels as the most boring, Zurich as the cleanest and Dublin the friendliest cities in Europe.
The survey predicted a good year for Europe’s tourist industry. Sixty-five percent of travellers said they are planning to travel to/within Europe in the next 12 months, nearly equal to last year. Despite the weak dollar, exactly half of U.S. respondents said they intend to visit Europe this year, the same amount as last year.
September may be the busiest month for travel in Europe this year, as 20 percent of respondents intend to visit at that time. Twenty-nine percent of travellers said they are most likely to save money on their excursion to or within Europe by going during the off-peak season. Forty-three percent of travellers (and 53 percent of Americans) expect to spend more money on this year’s trip to Europe than on their last trip there.
TripAdvisor also announced its list of best places to visit in London, Paris, Rome, Berlin and Madrid for people travelling on tight budget.
“It may be considered expensive but it seems that London’s still the best for travellers and the canny ones will always find good value�?, said Ian Rumgay TripAdvisor European Communications Manager. “Meanwhile Public Parks is a new category in our survey and London’s top place is a well deserved testimony to the volume and variety of green space that visitors can enjoy in the city�?.
According to the survey of more than 1,100 travellers:
Best Bargain European City: 1. Prague 2. Budapest 3. Lisbon
Most Expensive European City: 1. London 2. Paris 3. Rome
European City with the Most Friendly and Helpful Locals: 1. Dublin 2. Amsterdam 3. London
European City with the Best Cuisine: 1. Paris 2. Rome 3. Florence
European City with the Best Shopping: 1. Paris 2. London 3. Rome
European City with the Best Night Life: 1. London 2. Amsterdam 3. Paris
European City with the Best Public Parks: 1. London 2. Paris 3. Barcelona
Most Romantic European City: 1. Paris 2. Venice 3. Rome
European City with the Most Attractive Locals: 1. Rome 2. Paris 3. Stockholm
Cleanest European City: 1. Zurich 2. Copenhagen 3. Stockholm
Dirtiest European City: 1. London 2. Paris 3. Rome
European City with the Most Unfriendly Hosts: 1. Paris 2. London 3. Moscow
Most Boring European City: 1. Brussels 2. Zurich 3. Warsaw
About TripAdvisor Media Network
TripAdvisor® Media Network, operated by TripAdvisor, LLC, attracts nearly 30 million monthly visitors (source: comScore Media Metrix, Digital Calculator Report, July 2007) across eight popular travel brands, TripAdvisor® sites, bookingbuddy.com ™, cruisecritic.com™, independenttraveler.com™, seatguru.com®, smartertravel.com™, travel-library.com™ and travelpod.com™. TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 25 million monthly visitors, five million registered members and 10 million reviews and opinions. Featuring real advice from real travelers, TripAdvisor-branded sites cover 280,000+ hotels and attractions and operate in the U.S. (http://www.tripadvisor.com), the U.K. (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk), Ireland (http://www.tripadvisor.ie), France (http://www.tripadvisor.fr), Germany (http://www.tripadvisor.de), Italy (http://www.tripadvisor.it), and Spain (http://www.tripadvisor.es).
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Contact:
01732-760451
Ian Rumgay: 07803903602
irumgay@tripadvisor.com
Jane Owen: 07747036050
jowen@tripadvisor.com
