LONDON, U.K. – 13 December 2011: TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest travel site*, today launches its inaugural TripIndex Ski – a cost comparison of key ski destinations in Europe tracked against the British Pound.
 
TripIndex Ski is based on the combined cost of one night’s hotel accommodation, one day’s ski pass, one day’s basic ski hire, a local meal and a bottle of beer.

Topping the list for affordability is Bulgaria’s Bansko with a total TripIndex cost of just £108, while Italy’s Mount Etna took second place with £117.73 and Germany’s Berchtesgaden took third with £150.31. Andorra and Germany lead the best-value list, with each country laying claim to three destinations in the top ten.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, TripIndex Ski revealed Swiss destinations as the costliest. The most expensive, St. Moritz, has a combined cost of £405 – nearly four times that of Bansko, Bulgaria – and was closely followed by Zermatt and Gstaad, both of which have total costs of almost £400.

“We’ve developed TripIndex Ski to help identify which European ski regions deliver the best value for money this season for British skiers. Even within the expensive Alps region, there are pockets of value to be found - Serre Chevalier in France has been identified as a savvy option for the more cost-sensitive skiers,” commented Emma Shaw, TripAdvisor spokesperson. “TripIndex Ski reveals the best-value destination for British travellers to be in Bulgaria – not only are the core items less expensive, but the favourable exchange rate means your British Pound will go further.”

Affordability in the Alps

While the Alps are often associated with expense and luxury, one Alpine ski destination is amongst Europe’s most affordable: Serre Chevalier in France took fourth place, with a TripIndex total cost of £153.70. The next cheapest Alpine destination in the list is Les Deux Alps, with a combined total cost of £189.64, making it the twelfth best-value destination in the list and 23% more expensive than Serre Chevalier.

Meal cost sees biggest disparity

While substantial cost differences exist in every category between the most affordable and most expensive destinations, the biggest disparity is found in the price of food. 
 
·     Basic meal – the most expensive average cost of a meal* is eight times that of the cheapest in the list. The most expensive destination for a meal is St. Moritz, Switzerland where the average cost of a basic meal is £30.13, compared to £3.65 in Pasa de la Casa, Andorra
 
·     Hotel – the most expensive average hotel cost** is over four times that of the cheapest in the list. Zermatt, Switzerland has the highest hotel cost of £286.04 per night, compared to £67.90 in Bansko Bulgaria
 
·     Bottle of beer – the most expensive average cost of a beer*** is four times that of the cheapest in the list. The most expensive destination for a bottle of beer is Saas Fee, Switzerland at £4.93, compared to £1.29 in Ordino Arcalis, Andorra
 
·     Basic ski hire – the most expensive average ski hire cost**** is over triple that of the cheapest in the list. The most expensive destination for one day’s ski hire is Gstaad, Switzerland at £40.01, compared to £10.87 in Val Thorens
 
·     Ski pass – the most expensive average cost of a ski pass***** is nearly triple that of the cheapest in the list. The most expensive one day’s ski pass is in Zermatt, Switzerland at £52.34, compared to £19.75 in Mount Etna, Italy
 
“TripIndex Ski identifies great value can be found in Bulgaria, Andorra and Germany and others, while the traditionally expensive French and Swiss resorts have mostly remained so,” commented Emma Shaw. “While TripIndex Ski focusses on hotel costs, many travellers – particularly those in larger groups – may opt to stay in a chalet or holiday rental, which is another effective way of cutting costs on a ski holiday.”

TripIndex Best Value European Ski Destinations

Destination Hotel Ski Hire Ski Pass Meal  Beer Total cost
1 Bansko, Bulgaria £67.90 £13.17 £21.95 £3.95 £1.61 £108.59
2 Mt Etna, Italy £72.73 £14.86 £19.75 £7.30 £3.09 £117.73
3 Berchtesgaden, Germany £97.96 £15.46 £25.07 £9.16 £2.66 £150.31
4 Serre Chevalier, France £81.98 £18.03 £36.67 £13.45 £3.57 £153.70
5 Pas de la Casa, Andorra £99.61 £12.24 £36.92 £3.65 £1.50 £153.92
6 Bled, Slovenia £101.65 £15.46 £26.19 £8.53 £2.34 £154.17
7 Oberstdorf, Germany £101.28 £19.18 £34.35 £9.62 £2.52 £166.94
8 Ordino Arcalis, Andorra £114.51 £12.24 £32.63 £6.87 £1.29 £167.53
9 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany £116.11 £23.47 £30.91 £9.85 £2.77 £183.11
10 Soldeu, Andorra £121.53 £18.36 £36.92 £5.58 £1.72 £184.11
 
TripIndex Most Expensive European Ski Destination

Destination Hotel Ski Hire Ski Pass Meal  Beer Total cost
1 St. Moritz, Switzerland £283.05 £37.38 £50.94 £30.13 £3.58 £405.08
2 Zermatt, Switzerland £286.04 £36.99 £52.34 £18.84 £4.75 £398.95
3 Gstaad, Switzerland £275.43 £40.01 £43.27 £27.79 £3.79 £390.29
4 St. Anton, Austria £267.77 £34.92 £39.07 £10.73 £3.29 £355.79
5 Madonna di Campiglio, Italy £258.31 £30.06 £34.35 £8.16 £4.29 £335.16
6 Courcheval, France £237.76 £18.66 £34.78 £22.33 £4.15 £317.68
7 Meribel, France £240.39 £17.20 £34.78 £15.46 £4.15 £311.97
8 Val D'Isere, France £216.36 £19.43 £36.92 £15.54 £2.66 £290.92
9 Obergurgle, Austria £207.38 £27.48 £38.64 £12.88 £3.52 £289.91
10 Tignes, France £220.57 £15.39 £32.97 £15.59 £5.15 £289.68 
 
The full TripIndex link is available at http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/InfoCenter-a_ctr.TripIndexSkiUK
 
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TripIndex Ski methodology
 
The destinations in TripIndex Ski were editorially selected by TripAdvisor editors. TripIndex Ski looks at popular ski destinations across Europe and the list was compiled using information from ski and travel experts, as well as TripAdvisor site data.
 
Prices were collected through a variety of research methods as outlined below. Prices were taken in local currencies between October and November 2011 and converted into GBP on 28 November
 
**Hotels: Hotel prices shown specify the average per room per night cost of a hotel found on TripAdvisor within a five mile radius of the destination.  In all destinations, between 3 and 36 hotels were included to compute the average price. On average, 16 hotels were included in the calculations for each destination.
 
*Meal: Meal prices shown specify the average cost of one basic meal taken from three local restaurants. Where available this is a burger and chips and where not available a meal common to that destination was used as an alternative.
Meal types included:
·         Austria – Schnitzel and chips
·         Germany– Schnitzel and chips
·         Switzerland – Schnitzel and chips
·         France – Fondue
·         Andorra – Burger and chips
·         Spain – Burger and chips
·         Bulgaria – Burger and chips
·         Slovenia – Burger and chips

***Beer: Beer prices shown specify the average cost of a bottle of local beer (French beer in France, Italian beer in Italy, etc.) taken from three local restaurants.
****Ski Hire:  Ski hire prices specify the average cost of a basic ski hire package (boots, skis, poles). The cost shown is the average price of three (or the maximum number available) ski hire packages provided by suppliers in the destination.
*****Ski Pass: Ski pass identifies the cost of one day’s access to that destination’s ski area
 
All prices shown are as quoted by source.

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