Zagreb and Ljubljana wow visitors

Zagreb in Croatia and Ljubljana in Slovenia (above) lead a new ranking list of cities with a high degree of visitor satisfaction.

The two cities, both part of the former Yugoslavia, were the stars of a survey analyses air connectivity, average hotel prices, the levels of satisfaction and perceptions of visitors.

Having visited Ljubljana for a second time earlier this month, I can understand why it is such a hit. It is vibrant, green, easy to get around and has a lively bar and restaurant offering.

The large European capitals dropped in favour due to their high hotel prices and due to a low value placed by visitors on their tourist offerings.

Mabrian, a leading tourism intelligence company, shared a new study of the best European cities based on the value for money they offered during the month of June this year.

The conclusions were that the travel destination that offered the best value for money during the month of June was Zagreb.

Despite being among the lowest ranked in terms of air connectivity, it had a very high level of satisfaction in most of the areas analysed.

At the same time, it offers a very competitive accommodation price compared to other destinations surveyed.

In second position was Athens, which is better connected than Zagreb but with a slightly higher average price and lower satisfaction levels than Zagreb.

Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, was reported as having the most competitive hotel prices and high levels of satisfaction. It was in third position because its air connectivity is limited.

Dubrovnik, also in Croatia, was the destination with the highest satisfaction levels among the analysed destinations. The average hotel price here is high, however, and air connectivity is limited, which places it in ninth position.

London and Paris, despite being better connected, were penalized by a very high average hotel prices.

Visitors were particularly dissatisfied with the hotel service in London and with the offer of tourist products in Paris.

Other big tourist cities such as Berlin, Barcelona and Amsterdam were at the bottom of the list for their high hotel prices and for the level of satisfaction, which remained low.

In order, the best tourist cities for quality and price in June were: Zagreb (Croatia), Athens (Greece), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Rome (Italy), Vienna (Austria), Lisbon (Portugal), Madrid (Spain), Milan (Italy), Dubrovnik (Croatia), Berlin (Germany), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Paris (France), Barcelona (Spain) and London (United Kingdom).

Carlos Cendra, Mabrian’s director of sales and marketing, said: “There is a growing trend of demand for less crowded and more authentic destinations.

"For this reason, countries such as Croatia and Slovenia and their capitals are highly valued destinations due to their balance between a destination that offers security, a differentiated offer of activities and a very attractive average price.

"The most mature urban destinations are suffering a rebound effect in demand that generates an increase in average prices and a reduction of the customer experience due to the possible saturation at some times and places.”