Safe and cheap destinations are the new trend

Gone are the days when tourists choose the destination they most want to see. Now, cost and safety are major factors in deciding where to holiday, writes Andrew Unsworth

TripAdvisor recently revealed the cost of a three-night break in 20 cities around the world, taking into account the cost for two people of hotels, taxis,  attractions  and food.

The survey was conducted among British travellers, but as the calculation excluded the price of getting there, it is still an interesting guide for South Africans.

The Vietnamese city of Hanoi offered the best value, followed by Bangkok, Cape Town and Kuala Lumpur.

The top 10 cities were:

Hanoi, Mumbai, Cape Town, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Moscow, Bali, Madrid, Berlin and Vienna.

The costs factored in were a four-star hotel for three nights, a visit to three attractions, lunch and dinner each day, and a taxi to and from dinner each day. Excluding flights, the average price of a short break was £740. Hanoi was the cheapest at £373, with New York was the most expensive at £1,372.

The most expensive cities were New York, Tokyo, London, Cancun, Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney, Rome and Rio de Janeiro.

Cape Town came out tops with the best value lunches and dinners, followed by Mumbai and Bali. The most expensive cities in the world for food were Hong Kong and Tokyo.

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British travel agency Thomas Cook recently said it was  looking at safer destinations as tourists become more reluctant to book holidays where terrorism is a threat.

“Safer” destinations include Spain and the US, with Cuba and Bulgaria also likely to increase in popularity. Thomas Cook has cut capacity to Turkey this summer and switched to  countries including Spain, Bulgaria, Greece, Cuba and the US.

South Africa is also benefitting from these factors, as foreign tourists perceive it as a relatively safe and cheap destination, despite concerns about  crime. Incoming tourists number were up by 16.2% in May compared to May 2015, and up by 18.5% in the period January to May this year compared to the same period last year.