Orlando, Atlanta top the most budget-friendly destinations in the US
Travelers looking for budget-friendly holiday destinations in the US are being directed to Orlando, Florida, and Atlanta, Georgia, after a travel website named the two cities the places where travelers will get the most bang for their hard-earned buck in 2013.
According to discount travel site Hotwire.com, Orlando and Atlanta came out on top for boasting low prices and discounts on air, hotel, and rental car fees, as well as offering visitors a range of affordable entertainment.
The index looked at 50 leisure markets in the US.
It’s the second year in a row that Orlando has topped Hotwire’s Travel Value Index. This year, the city shares the top spot with Atlanta.
In addition to the selection of major theme parks such as Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, and SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, the city is also known for boasting 150 golf courses, one of the world’s largest putting destinations in the world, outdoor adventures like zip-lining and airboating through swamps, and a spa culture.
Attractions in Atlanta, meanwhile, include a Civil War history lesson at the Atlanta History Center, the world’s largest aquarium, and behind-the-scenes tours of news behemoth CNN as well as beverage giant Coca-Cola, both of which are headquartered in the city.
Markets were graded on a 100-point scale that looked at pricing and discount opportunities for air, hotel, and rental cars, as well as affordable entertainment.
Also on the list are cities that Hotwire earlier identified as ‘sleeper cities,’ destinations defined as up-and-coming metropolises with much to offer, but where prices are still low because they have yet to attract mass travel audiences.
The Hotwire Sleeper Cities that also made the Travel Value Index’s top 10 list include Tampa, Florida; Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas; Phoenix, Nevada; and Raleigh, North Carolina.
Meanwhile, Hotwire’s index comes hot on the heels of rival Hotels.com’s annual Hotel Price Index, which looked at the average hotel room prices in 155,000 properties around the world during 2012.
Among the cheapest US destinations named by Hotels.com were Las Vegas, San Diego, and Fort Lauderdale.
Here are the top cities on Hotwire’s Travel Value Index for 2013 and their overall rating out of 100:
1. Orlando, FL - 100
2. Atlanta, GA. - 100
3. Tampa, FL - 94
4. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX- 94
5. Phoenix, NV - 92
6. Raleigh, NC - 85
7. Chalortte, NC - 83
8. Houston, TX - 83
9. St. Louis, MO - 82
10. Sacramento, CA - 79
