Mumbai second cheapest among 20 tourist destinations: Survey

MUMBAI: Mumbai, India’s most expensive city for tourists was the second cheapest among 20 foreign destinations, showed a price comparison study by travel site TripAdvisor.

MUMBAI: Mumbai, India’s most expensive city for tourists was the second cheapest among 20 foreign destinations, showed a price comparison study by travel site TripAdvisor. The price index was drawn by adding up the average spends on food, stay, sightseeing and cab fares for a couple on three-day tour.

HT Image

With a total package cost of Rs. 38,444 Mumbai was the most expensive city in India. But globally, it was the second most pocket-friendly destination after Hanoi (Rs. 33,786).

Among the eight Indian cities, Pune was least expensive with an average package cost of Rs. 26,595, the study added.

“Our research of booking rates on TripAdvisor shows that it is possible to budget for a full trip to Pune for little more than the average cost of accommodation in Mumbai over the same dates. Such information helps travellers assess the various aspects of their trip before going ahead and making the final booking” said Nikhil Ganju, country manager, TripAdvisor India.

The price audit added that globally, New York was the most expensive city for a three-day trip with an average package cost of Rs. 1,24 201.

Tokyo turned out to be the steepest for Indian tourists when it came to eating out and transportation. With an average meal bill of Rs 40,587, eateries in Japan’s capital city were three times steeper than Hyderabad, the most expensive in India. Taxi rides (Rs.7736) were six times higher than Delhi – highest in India and a dozen times dearer than Mumbai, the report added.

The price chart was drawn keeping upwardly mobile travellers in mind.

While lunches comprised a meal with soft drinks, dinners were slightly elaborate with starters, main course and a bottle of wine split between two. Hotel rates were collected from 4 star and 4.5 star properties. Cab fares for six kilometres and entry fees to two main tourist attractions summed up the average package cost.