Tourists will take a pounding in New York
- New York is the most expensive city to visit but it’s Bangkok for value
- Virgin Money Travel Insurance reveals weekend break winners
New York is the most expensive city in the world for British tourists after topping a league table of standard costs based on a two-day break, according to the Virgin Money Weekend Break Survey.
But if you are after value for money then head for Bangkok, according to Virgin Money’s analysis which measures the costs of car rental, four star accommodation, a Big Mac, Virgin Money travel insurance cover for the duration of the trip and entry to a popular sightseeing attraction in 20 cities around the world, for two people.
It excluded the cost of air travel to focus on the costs that matter to tourists when they are on holiday and converted all costs into Sterling in order to assess the true cost for British tourists looking to visit for a weekend break.
New York emerges as the most expensive of all, with visitors having to fork out £527.44 just for two nights while in Bangkok the cost would be just £141.25 – an incredible 3.5 times cheaper.
Milan and Moscow came in second and third in the league table of most expensive cities to visit with London way down the rankings at ninth. Researchers found the UK capital was £162.44 cheaper than a weekend away in New York.
The Virgin Money Weekend Break Survey shows that the Thai capital Bangkok has the cheapest Big Mac in the world at just £1.15 as well as the least expensive car rental and accommodation costs.
Grant Bather of Virgin Money Travel Insurance said: “City breaks are big business now and our research shows you don’t have to break the bank when you’re on holiday.
“While going further afield might feel more expensive, tourists can recoup a lot of extra expense because of the value for money in cities once you arrive. A two-night stay in Milan is over three times more expensive than in Bangkok.
“Talk of London being the most expensive city in the world is nonsense. You don’t have to raid the savings to come to the capital and if you choose carefully you can get good value during your stay.”
The Virgin Money Weekend Break Survey included cities from the world’s major tourist destinations. The launch results showed that Paris, Tokyo and Cape Town all sat comfortably in mid-table, with car rental costs coming in at under half that of Beijing. Prague and Dublin – popular with stag and hen weekends - were surprisingly cheap, with tourists able to spend two nights in the cities for under £250.
Virgin Money Weekend Break Survey
| Country | City | Car | Hotel | Attraction | Big Mac | Insurance | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | New York | £55.72 | £408.30 | £33.70 | £2.16 | £27.56 | £527.44 |
| Italy | Milan | £61.65 | £423.21 | £11.16 | £2.84 | £17.25 | £516.11 |
| Russia | Moscow | £150 | £318.26 | £9.52 | £1.31 | £25.35 | £504 |
| Spain | Barcelona | £129.60 | £322.42 | 18.88 | £2.84 | £17.25 | £490.99 |
| Germany | Berlin | £109.44 | £294.98 | £13.32 | £2.84 | £17.25 | £437.83 |
| USA | Chicago | £52.86 | £315.77 | £21.86 | £2.16 | £27.56 | £420.21 |
| Canada | Toronto | £84.40 | 239.42 | £31.12 | £2.13 | £27.56 | £384.63 |
| South Africa | Cape Town | £64.93 | £283.46 | £3.76 | £1.59 | £25.35 | £379.09 |
| UK | London | £75 | £240.00 | £35 | £2.29 | £12.24 | £365 |
| France | Paris | £87.18 | £235.78 | £18.54 | £2.84 | £17.25 | £361.59 |
| Japan | Tokyo | £77.16 | £243.40 | £2.50 | £2.05 | £25.35 | £350.46 |
| China | Beijing | £175.74 | £140.44 | £2.66 | £1.04 | £25.35 | £345.23 |
| Iceland | Reykjavik | £113.78 | £200.22 | £7.66 | £3.09 | £17.25 | £342.00 |
| Argentina | Buenos Aires | £69.14 | £236.14 | £7.92 | £1.83 | £25.35 | £340.38 |
| UAE | Dubai | £74.21 | £223.30 | £1.64 | £1.92 | £25.35 | £326.42 |
| Australia | Sydney | £68.89 | £165.30 | £35.62 | £2.04 | £23.56 | £295.41 |
| Sweden | Stockholm | £90.50 | £155.92 | £20.86 | £3.05 | £17.25 | £287.58 |
| Czech Rep | Prague | £60.37 | £131.84 | £23.28 | £2.26 | £17.25 | £235.00 |
| Ireland | Dublin | £81 | £124.16 | £9.08 | £2.84 | £17.25 | £234 |
| Thailand | Bankgok | £51.49 | £58.82 | £4.44 | £1.15 | £25.35 | £141.25 |
Virgin Money offers a range of travel insurance policies designed to meet the needs of a variety of travellers including families, backpackers, over 65’s, winter sports enthusiasts and people going on adventure holidays with customised travel insurance options.
Winter sports cover is standard on annual multi-trip policies and over forty adventure sports are covered as standard, from archery to white water rafting. It also offers up to £400 cover for backpackers (aged under 35) if they are mugged while travelling. Up to three under 18s are also covered, for free, per adult.
- Ends -
Notes to Editors
For further information:
Grant Bather, Public Relations Manager, Virgin Money
Tel: 0207 111 10212
Kevan Reilly/Billy Partridge Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Tel. 0207 638 9571
About Virgin Money
Virgin Money is Virgin’s financial services arm and was established in 1995.
Virgin Money has over two million customers and offers a wide range of financial products across lending (e.g. credit cards and personal loans), savings (e.g. deposits, investments and pensions) and protection (e.g. life insurance, home insurance and car insurance) to the UK market.
Virgin Money Personal Financial Service Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Registered Office: Discovery House, Whiting Road, Norwich NR4 6EJ. Registered in England no. 3072766. Entered on the Financial Services Register (www.fsa.gov.uk/register), Register Number: 179271
