Lisbon has come top in a comparison of city break destinations by online shopping comparison site Kelkoo.
Based on value for money, climate, and other travel priorities, the Portuguese capital was ranked the best of the world’s 20 most visited cities, with Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro and Sydney coming bottom.
European cities dominated the top half of the rankings with Lisbon closely followed by Athens, Istanbul, and Barcelona.
Based on just value for money, Rio, Sydney and Cape Town are among the least affordable city break destinations in the world, while Krakow, Istanbul and Lisbon offer the best value for money.
Hong Kong is considered the safest destination with 4.3 policemen and only 12 crimes for every 1,000 people.
Amsterdam fares worst with 144 crimes and just 2.2 police officers per thousand capita.
The study, commissioned by Kelkoo, and conducted by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, rated the world’s 20 most visited cities using official statistics to assess the performance of 10 key travel criteria, including climate, security, local affordability of goods and services, quality of food, the cost of flights and accommodation, tourist attractions, and exchange rates.
A YouGov survey of almost 2,300 adults was also conducted to ascertain the importance British holidaymakers placed on each factor, and the scores for each destination were then weighted accordingly to determine the ‘Kelkoo City Index’ rankings.
Kelkoo UK MD Bruce Fair said: “Whilst Portugal’s capital may not be renowned for the romance of Paris or the glamour of New York, Lisbon appears to fit the bill most closely when it comes to delivering against the criteria that matter most to today’s holidaymakers – value for money, great climate and security.”
By Bev Fearis
