Despite visas to Europe taking longer than usual, online accommodation booking website, Hotels.com's Hotel Price Index report said Europe was the preferred destination for Indians travelling abroad in 2015.

Reasonable and competitive air tickets to most of the capital cities in Europe, amounting to less than a return ticket to metro cities within India, certainly made Europe an attractive destination for Indian tourists in 2015.

Overall, Europe remained the preferred international getaway for Indians, providing them an array of experiences that included, amongst others, shopping in Paris, trekking and hiking in the Austrian Alps, culinary delights in Italy and hot air ballooning in Turkey.

Backpackers and deal hunters rejoiced in Paris, Berlin, Brussels and Istanbul as the HPI reported double digit price decreases for these destinations in 2015.

Hotel room prices saw a decline as Indians paid 27 per cent less in Berlin at Rs 6,873, 16 per cent less in Paris at Rs 10,993, 16 per cent less in Brussels at Rs 8,595 and 15 per cent less in Istanbul at Rs 8,109 respectively.

London, a perennial favourite, saw a marginal increase in hotel room prices by 1 per cent at Rs 14,823 per night, followed by Milan that witnessed a staggering 19 per cent increase at Rs 12,695 per night in 2015.

The US, considered the ‘land of opportunities’ by Indians, witnessed a rise in hotel room prices in 2015 as compared to 2014. A number of destinations in the country witnessed a rise on account of increased demand, except the ‘Big Apple’ that saw a marginal drop of 1 per cent at Rs 15,704 per night.

However, New York topped the list in terms of hotel room prices, followed by San Francisco priced at Rs 14,465 per night. Boston ranked third, followed by ‘Beach Destination’ Miami ranking fourth on the list, priced at Rs 13,423 and Rs 13,086 respectively for a hotel room per night.

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