2012 European Capitals of Culture spike in traveller interest

Slovenia’s Maribor wins the battle

TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel website, can exclusively reveal that 2012 European Capital of Culture, Maribor in Slovenia, has substantially piqued traveller interest. In its inaugural two weeks with the title, the city saw a 547%* increase in traveller searches on TripAdvisor.  By comparison, the other European Capital of Culture for 2012, Guimaraes in Portugal, saw a more modest increase of 42%* in the same period.

“This is very encouraging news for Slovenia’s tourism industry,” commented Emma Shaw, TripAdvisor spokesperson.  “Eastern and Central Europe’s popularity has risen steadily over recent years, and Maribor looks set to be the region’s next big destination.”

In addition to the events Maribor will host as European Capital of Culture, the city already has an attractive tourism offering. Maribor has a number of highly-rated hotels (including the city’s number one rated on TripAdvisor, Hotel 365), it’s picturesquely located on the Drava River and has several interesting sites, including the oldest vine in the world and a 15^th century castle.

European Capital of Cultures are cities designated by the European Union for a period of one year. In this year a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension take place in the cities.

For more information on these cities, visit www.TripAdvisor.co.uk

*Denotes year-on-year increase in searches on TripAdvisor, comparing 1-16 January 2011 against 1-16 January 2012. 

TripAdvisor reveals the best hotels and B&Bs for 2012

It’s that time for year again!

Today we are thrilled to announce our 2012 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Hotel awards, which names the best hotels in the UK and beyond.  The awards are decided purely by those who matter the most – travellers themselves.

This year, the UK’s B&Bs have cause to celebrate with eight of the world’s top ten found here.  According to TripAdvisor travellers, The Twenty One in Brighton is the world’s best B&B.  Reviewers rave about the property, with one guest saying, “Mat & Andy are the perfect hosts. Superb breakfasts and comfy beds. The whole of 21 is wonderfully clean and immaculately presented.”

In the list of top UK hotels, Devon reigned supreme with four of the country’s ten best.  The Charterhouse hotel in Torquay earned the top spot, up from fourth place last year.  The hotel consistently impresses its guests, with reviewers commenting on its “warm and genuine hospitality”, “superb” breakfasts and more. 

In recent years, London hotels have been conspicuously absent in the awards.  This year, however, three London properties managed to crack it - The Milestone Hotel, Hotel 41 and Haymarket Hotel. With last year’s royal wedding and travellers around the world preparing for their trips to attend the Olympics this summer, the London hotel industry is in the spotlight like never before and it seems this is paying off.

Unlike any other hotel honours, TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice winners are based on millions of valuable reviews and opinions from travellers around the world. To see the full list, go to

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/TravelersChoice-Hotels

Congratulations to all of this year’s very deserving winners…

 

TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Award Highlights:

TOP 25 UK HOTELS

1.    Charterhouse Hotel (Torquay, Devon)

2.    Hillside Hotel (Ventnor, Isle of Wight)

3.    Rudding Park Hotel (Harrogate, Yorkshire)

4.    Beechwood Hotel (North Walsham, East Anglia)

5.    Crimdon Dene Hotel (Torquay, Devon)

6.    Yeoldon House Hotel (Bideford, Devon)

7.    The Chambers Park Palace (Leeds, Yorkshire)

8.    Shelley’s (Lynmouth, Devon)

9.    Number Four at Stow (Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire)

10. Bath House Hotel (Chard, Somerset)

11. Rampsbeck Country House Hotel (Watermillock, Cumbria)

12. Cary Court Hotel (Torquay, Devon)

13. The Milestone Hotel (London)

14. Gilpin Hotel & Lake House (Windermere, Cumbria)

15. Hotel 41 (London)

16. Base2Stay Liverpool (Liverpool)

17. Overwater Hall (Bassenthwaite, Cumbria)

18. Merewood Country House Hotel (Windermere, Lake District)

19. Tara Lodge, Belfast (Northern Ireland)

20. The Farmhouse Hotel (Guernsey, Channel Islands)

21. Longueville Manor Hotel (Jersey, Channel Islands)

22. Haymarket Hotel (London)

23. Northcote, (Langho, Lancashire)

24. Dufferin Coachign Inn (County Down, Northern Ireland)

25. Green Bough Hotel (Chester, Cheshire)

WORLD’S BEST B&BS (brackets denote last year’s ranking)

1.    The Twenty One (Brighton, East Sussex, England)

2.    The Old Manse (Invermoriston, Scotland)

3.    Riverside Hotel (Ambleside, Cumbria, England)

4.    Casa Portagioia  Bed and Breakfast (Tuscany, Italy)

5.    Kenley Hotel (Blackpool, Lancashire, England)

6.    The Green House (Sacred Valley, Peru)

7.    Byfield House (Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, England)

8.    One Alloway Retreat (Ayrshire, Scotland)

9.    The Manor Coach House (Worcester, Worcestershire, England)

10. Bindon Bottom B&B (West Lulworth, Dorset, England)