Best value-for-money European tourist destinations – Mabrian Technologies

 

• Zagreb (Croatia) and Ljubljana (Slovenia) lead the ranking of cities with a higher degree of visitor satisfaction
• The large European capitals drop positions due to their high hotel prices and due to a low value placed by visitors on the tourist offer in the destinations
• The study analyzes air connectivity, the average hotel price, and the levels of satisfaction and perception of visitors

 

Mabrian, a leading tourism intelligence company, has shared a new study of the best European cities based on the value for money they offered during the month of June this year.

 

For this new study air connectivity data was analyzed, looking at the number of seats on scheduled flights and the number of cities and countries with which the destination has a direct connection.

 

The average hotel price and the level of visitor satisfaction were also taken into account. This analysis of visitor satisfaction is part of the Mabrian indices that measure the level of satisfaction and perception that visitors have with destinations in general and regarding the most relevant  areas such as security, climate, accomodation and the tourism product offer.

 

Conclusions:

 

• The destination that offered the best value for money during the month of June was Zagreb, located in northwestern Croatia. Despite being among the last in terms of air connectivity, it has a very high level of satisfaction in most of the areas analyzed. At the same time, it offers a very competitive accommodation price compared to the other destinations analyzed.
• In second position was Athens, which is better connected than Zagreb but with a slightly higher average price and lower satisfaction levels than Zagreb.
• Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, is one of the destinations analyzed with the most competitive hotel prices and high levels of satisfaction. However, it remains in third position because its air connectivity is limited.
• Dubrovnik, also in Croatia, is the destination with the highest satisfaction levels among the analyzed destinations. However, the average hotel price is high and air connectivity is limited, which places it in ninth position.

 

London and Paris, despite being better connected, are penalized by a very high average hotel price among the destinations analyzed. In addition, the two capitals showed lower levels of satisfaction. Visitors are particularly dissatisfied with the hotel service in London and with the offer of tourist products in Paris.

 

Other big tourist cities such as Berlin, Barcelona and Amsterdam are at the bottom of the list for their high hotel prices and for the level of satisfaction, which remains low. This last indicator may be due to the tourist saturation that they have had since the beginning of the summer, and also due to the delays and cancellations of flights that have been taking place lately.

 

In order, the best tourist cities for quality and price in June are: Zagreb (Croatia), Athens (Greece), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Rome (Italy), Vienna (Austria), Lisbon (Portugal), Madrid (Spain), Milan (Italy), Dubrovnik (Croatia), Berlin (Germany), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Paris (France), Barcelona (Spain) and London (United Kingdom).

 

By indices, the security perception index (PSI) analyzed by Mabrian is led by Dubrovnik and Lisbon, followed by Milan and Madrid. At the bottom of this index are Berlin, Barcelona and Vienna. The climate perception index (PCI), which allows knowing the relationship between the expectations of visitors and the reality of the climate in the destination, is also led by Dubrovnik, followed by Rome and Milan; whilst at the other end the final three are Amsterdam, Paris and Vienna. According to the index of satisfaction for hotels (HSI), the best scores are for the cities of Zagreb, Dubrovnik and Ljubljana, while London, Berlin and Amsterdam are at the bottomo of the ranking. Regarding the perception of the tourist product available, Dubrovnik, Ljubljana and Athens are at the top of the ranking, and at the bottom are Paris, Madrid and Barcelona.

 

According to Carlos Cendra, Mabrian’s Director of Sales and Marketing, “there is a growing trend of demand for less crowded and more authentic destinations. For this reason, countries such as Croatia and Slovenia and their capitals are highly valued destinations due to their balance between a destination that offers security, a differentiated offer of activities and a very attractive average price. The most mature urban destinations are suffering a rebound effect in demand that generates an increase in average prices and a reduction of the customer experience due to the possible saturation at some times and places”.

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