Family-Friendly UK Takes Top Spots in TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Family Awards

LONDON, March 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- Edinburgh and London Crowned Among Most Family-Friendly Cities in Europe

TripAdvisor(R), the world's largest travel site, today announced the winners of it's first-ever Travellers' Choice Family awards. In a boost for UK tourism, Edinburgh and London were named as the second and third most family-friendly cities in Europe respectively, with Florence taking first place.

"These awards recognise the most family-friendly cities as decided by millions of TripAdvisor travellers, and the UK should be proud to claim two of the European winners," commented Emma O'Boyle, TripAdvisor spokesperson. "For Edinburgh and London to beat other well-known European family-friendly destinations proves that, despite not always having the best weather, Britain truly is a fantastic place for a family holiday."

A recent TripAdvisor survey revealed that over half (53%) of families intend to spend less on holidays this year, so news that domestic cities are so family-friendly will certainly be welcome.

The TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Family award winners were identified based on the greatest number of recommendations from reviewers who travelled with family. Top family-friendly hotels were determined by the highest review ratings from those who travelled with family.

Family fun in Edinburgh

Crowned the most family-friendly city in the UK, Edinburgh, is also the second most family-friendly city in Europe. As one TripAdvisor traveller said, "Edinburgh is a wonderful place to travel with children." Its world-famous Edinburgh Castle, plethora of free museums and frequent festivals all cater for families. Tour the Royal Yacht Britannia, or visit the Camera Obscura and World of Illusions for five floors of hands-on exhibits.

Where to Stay?

The TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Family award for the most family-friendly Edinburgh accommodation goes to Fountain Court Apartments EQ2. The luxury serviced apartments offer a range of one, two and three bedroom apartments in the heart of the city. The apartments are ideal homes away from home, with living rooms, kitchens and all the amenities a family needs. As one TripAdvisor traveller said, "perfect for families". Rates for the apartments range from GBP103 - GBP269 per night.

Love for London

The capital, Europe's third most family-friendly city, has well and truly overcome the perception that it's unsuitable or too expensive for families. With so many attractions free of charge, including the British Museum, the Imperial War Museum , the Tate Britain, Tate Modern, the parks, the commons and more, London is both affordable and child-friendly. Other family attractions include the London Eye, Tower of London, London Dungeons and royal palaces.

Where to stay?

The TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Family award for the most family-friendly London hotel is Base2stay Kensington. Well-located for London sightseeing, the hotel is just outside Earl's Court tube station and offers a variety of rooms, from singles to three bedroom suites. Some even include luxury bunk beds, perfect for kids. Each room comes equipped with a mini-kitchen, meaning families can save on meal costs .

As one TripAdvisor traveller said, "A quiet, clean place with all the amenities families need." Rates for the hotel range from GBP103-GBP196 per night.

The top ten Family-Friendly European Cities

According to TripAdvisor travellers, these are Europe's most family-friendly cities

1. Florence, Italy (best family hotel: Hotel Davanzati)

2. Edinburgh, Scotland (best family hotel: Fountain Court Apartments EQ2)

3. London, England (best family hotel: base2stay Kensington)

4. Berlin, Germany (best family hotel: Berlin Marriott Hotel)

5. Barcelona, Spain (best family hotel: Hotel 1898)

6. Rome, Italy (best family hotel: Hotel Alimandi Vaticano)

7. Vienna, Austria (best family hotel: K+K Hotel Maria Theresia)

8. Paris, France (best family friendly: Hotel Residence Foch)

9. Budapest, Hungary (best family hotel: Mamaison Residence Izabella Budapest)

10. Istanbul, Turkey (best family hotel: Sirkeci Konak Hotel)

For the complete 2011 Travellers' Choice Family lost, go to http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/TCfamily .

About TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor(R) is the world's largest travel site, enabling travellers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travellers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features (including Flights search, TripAdvisor Mobile and TripAdvisor Trip Friends) with seamless links to booking tools.

TripAdvisor(R) Media Group, operated by TripAdvisor LLC, attracts more than 50 million unique monthly visitors* across 18 popular travel brands**. TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 40 million unique monthly visitors***, 20 million members, and over 40 million reviews and opinions. The sites operate in 27 countries worldwide****, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also operates TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to TripAdvisor's millions of monthly visitors. The division includes Business Listings, which allows hoteliers to connect directly to millions of researching travellers, and Vacation Rentals, which helps property managers and individual home owners list their properties and showcase hotel alternatives.

TripAdvisor Media Group websites have been recognized as top travel resources in 2010 by Condé Nast Traveller, Good Housekeeping, TIME magazine and Travel + Leisure.

TripAdvisor and the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Group are operating companies of Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE).

TripAdvisor and the TripAdvisor logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of TripAdvisor LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.

(c)2011 TripAdvisor LLC. All rights reserved.

* Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Media Group Sites, Worldwide, August 2010

** In addition to TripAdvisor, The TripAdvisor Media Group of websites includes: http://www.airfarewatchdog.com, http://www.bookingbuddy.com, http://www.cruisecritic.com, http://www.everytrail.com, http://www.familyvacationcritic.com, http://www.flipkey.com, http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk, http://www.holidaywatchdog.com, http://www.independenttraveler.com, http://www.onetime.com, http://www.seatguru.com, http://www.sniqueaway.com, http://www.smartertravel.com, http://www.travel-library.com, http://www.travelpod.com, http://www.virtualtourist.com and http://www.kuxun.cn.

*** Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, Worldwide, August 2010

**** TripAdvisor sites operate in 27 countries worldwide: http://www.tripadvisor.com, http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk, http://www.tripadvisor.ca, http://www.tripadvisor.it, http://www.tripadvisor.es, http://www.tripadvisor.de, http://www.tripadvisor.fr, http://www.tripadvisor.jp, http://www.daodao.com, http://www.tripadvisor.in, http://www.tripadvisor.se, http://nl.tripadvisor.com, http://www.tripadvisor.com.br, http://www.tripadvisor.com.tr, http://www.tripadvisor.dk, http://www.tripadvisor.com.mx, http://www.tripadvisor.ie, http://www.tripadvisor.com.au, http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg, http://www.tripadvisor.co.kr, http://no.tripadvisor.com, http://pl.tripadvisor.com, http://th.tripadvisor.com, http://www.tripadvisor.ru, http://www.tripadvisor.com.gr/ , http://www.tripadvisor.co.id and http://www.tripadvisor.com.ar.

Contact: Laurel Greatrix, Office: +44(0)203-194-2150, lgreatrix@tripadvisor.com