Birmingham second best value in UK for city break – report
BIRMINGHAM offers the second best value city break in the UK, according to an annual cost comparison study released by TripAdvisor.
An evening out and overnight stay in a four star hotel in Birmingham will cost £166.06, almost half the price of a break in the UK’s most expensive city, Edinburgh, which costs £331.28.
Only Sheffield – at £153.94 – beats Birmingham in terms of value.
The results were taken from this year’s TripIndex UK Cities, which compares the cost of an evening out in each of the UK’s 20 most popular cities, taking into account typical costs for two people to enjoy a pre-meal cocktail at a four star hotel, a meal out, taxis, and an overnight stay for two in a four star hotel during the month of August.
Emma Gray, director of marketing services at Visit Birmingham, the city’s leisure tourism programme, said, “For anyone planning a UK break over the bank holiday weekend, Birmingham offers visitors great value for money and a wide range of choice to suit all pockets – from culture to cuisine, shopping to sport.
“Birmingham is also one of the top visitor cities in the UK, attracting a record 34m visitors in 2013 – a 12% rise since 2006 – making it a must-visit destination for all.”
This year’s results reveal a clear north/south divide when it comes to cost – Sheffield, Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester all feature in the top ten best value cities. By contrast, six of the ten most expensive cities are situated in the South of England – Cambridge, London, Oxford, Bath, Brighton and Southampton – with only Edinburgh offering less value for money.
The title of best value city last year went to Nottingham, which this year falls seven places to eighth position, while the top three most expensive cities, Edinburgh, Cambridge and London have remained as such for two consecutive years.
