In recent research by flight search engine Skyscanner there are some differences between the actual cost and value of a holiday in comparison to what people generally perceive for certain holiday destinations.
Skyscanner asked around 1,500 people several questions about how they view different holiday destinations around the world. The first question asked was to note whether a country in a list of 30 was ‘cheap’ or ‘expensive’. Sweden, Norway, Switzerland and Denmark topped the list. However, research into the actual cost of holidaying in each country revealed that, the priciest hot-spot was actually France.
Brazil was perceived to be just outside the top ten cheapest places to visit, when in actual fact it was the fourth most expensive, along with Russia as the fifth, which was also viewed as a cheaper destination.
When it came to asking people about the cheapest places, the perception was a lot closer to the reality with respondents correctly identifying places such as Thailand and Morocco as some of the cheapest.
According to the price research the most budget-friendly countries currently are Cyprus, Greece, South Africa, Dominican Republic and Morocco.
Results changed however, when the cost of flights were incorporated into the mix, long haul destinations made for more expensive destinations in total, such as New Zealand shooting from the top ten cheapest destinations, to one of the top ten most expensive!
I’ve put the whole research below to help you make your own mind up about where to go on holiday if budget is a factor:
Perceived Country Cost Ranking |
Actual Country Cost Ranking |
Actual Country Cost Ranking Including Flights |
1. Sweden |
1. France |
1. Japan |
2. Norway |
2. Switzerland |
2. Brazil |
3. Switzerland |
3. Denmark |
3. France |
4. Denmark |
4. Brazil |
4. Switzerland~ |
5. Dubai |
5. Russia |
5. Denmark |
6. Iceland |
6. Japan# |
6. Australia |
7. Japan |
7. Italy |
7. Mexico |
8. Italy |
8. Spain |
8. New Zealand |
9. France |
9. Iceland |
9. Russia |
10. Germany |
10. Mexico |
10. Canada |
11. Australia |
11. Canada |
11. Italy |
12. New Zealand |
12. Dubai |
12. Iceland |
13. Canada |
13. Sweden+ |
13. USA |
14. Cyprus |
14. Germany |
14. Dubai |
15. South Africa |
15. Croatia |
15. Spain |
16. Russia |
16. Australia |
16. South Africa |
17. Greece |
17. USA |
17. Thailand |
18. Portugal |
18. Norway |
18. India |
19. Spain |
19. Portugal |
19. Dominican Republic |
20. USA |
20. Turkey |
20. Croatia |
21. Brazil |
21. Poland |
21. Sweden+ |
22. Dominican Republic |
22. New Zealand |
22. Germany |
23. Croatia |
23. India |
23. Turkey |
24. Egypt |
24. Egypt |
24. Egypt |
25. Poland |
25. Thailand |
25. Norway** |
26. Turkey |
26. Morocco |
26. Portugal |
27. Mexico |
27. Dominican Republic |
27. Poland |
28. Morocco |
28. South Africa |
28. Morocco |
29. Thailand |
29. Greece |
29. Greece |
30. India |
30. Cyprus |
30. Cyprus |