With many across Asia and Australia looking forward to long weekends and holidays in the coming weeks, price-savvy travelers will be happy to learn that Agoda crunched the numbers to reveal the cheapest tourist destinations. In the Philippines, it’s Bacolod where travelers can enjoy the most competitive room rates this month.
Because of Agoda’s passion for getting travelers the best possible deals and most competitive prices, the digital travel platform analyzed the average room rates of tourist destinations in April. In the Philippines, Bacolod is the most affordable tourist destination, with an average room rate of approximately P2,650.
Aptly tagged “The City of Smiles,” Bacolod City and its sweet and gentle locals know how to give their visitors a culinary experience to remember. Good food will fill your tummy and leave you grinning from ear to ear.
Seek solace in Sharyn’s Cansi House and help yourself to cansi, a traditional comfort food in the Negros region. Cansi is a soup made from beef shank and bone marrow, usually topped off by locals’ go-to souring ingredient, the batuan fruit. Or have a hand in creating a local delicacy, piaya, from one of the workshops in Bong Bongs. The flat bread is filled with muscovado and local glucose syrup. The chicken inasal, served best in a cluster of eateries called Manukan Country, is an Ilonggo must-have with its distinct smoky taste. Complete your food trip and indulge in the wide selection of desserts from Calea, which is famous for their chocolate mud pie.
Also in the Philippines’ top 5 with the lowest average room rates are Iloilo (P2,700), Dumaguete (P3,000), Davao City (P3,300), and Puerto Galera (P3,660).
The destinations with the cheapest average accommodation rates across the APAC region are Khon Kaen in Thailand, Sibu in Malaysia, Surakarta in Indonesia, Puri in India, Ninh Binh in Vietnam, Chiba in Japan, Gwangju in South Korea, Kinmen Islands in Taiwan, and Brisbane in Australia.
“With 2023 already well underway and public holidays coming up in numerous regions, many of us are looking for a well-deserved break” said Enric Casals, Regional Vice-President Southeast Asia and Oceania at Agoda.
“But at the same time, with the cost of living in the daily news across the globe, we’re all trying to be smart about how to spend our hard-earned cash. I’m hopeful that these Agoda findings will help travelers discover some exciting destinations and save money along the way.”
Despite being the lowest priced tourist destinations, the researched locations have lots to offer to visitors and are nothing short of hidden gems. From bustling beaches and thrilling theme parks to spiritual sanctuaries and foodie Valhalla’s. Here are some of the highlights from some of cheapest destinations in the researched markets:
Khon Kaen, Thailand (Average room rate: $30)
Khon Kaen might be Thailand’s Dinosaur city but it’s surprisingly modern. This university town is home to an abundance of trendy coffee shops, city lakes that seem to be hosting festivals year-round, the Ton Tann Night Market with its many food stalls and live music, and much more. Khon Kaen is also an ideal base from which to explore the surrounding countryside, to dig for Jurassic treasures for example, or to make merit at the breathtakingly beautiful hilltop temple Wat Tham Saeng Tham.
Flights Bangkok’s two airports to Khon Kaen operate daily and are usually low-cost, with one-way tickets available in April starting at less than 750 Thai Baht ($22) on Agoda.com/flights.
Chiba, Japan (Average room rate: $69)
Japan’s Chiba Prefecture is just a short train ride from Tokyo and has a diverse range of tourism options. Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea are world-renowned theme parks located in Chiba, and the Boso Peninsula offers rugged coastlines, pristine beaches, and lush forests for nature lovers. Chiba City is the prefecture’s capital and is a bustling hub of entertainment, with attractions like the Makuhari Seaside Park and the nearby shopping center Aeon Mall Makuhari Shintoshin.
Transfers to and from Chiba, and other local activities, can be booked on Agoda’s Activities page: https://www.agoda.com/activities.
Gwangju, South Korea (Average room rate: $91)
Well-known as the city of culture and art, Gwangju offers a variety of cultural and artistic scenes all year-round, including a street dedicated to art, museums such as the Asia Art Center and Gwangju Museum of Art, and many galleries and antique shops. This makes Gwangju one of the most attractive destinations for travelers who want to explore art, performance, and theatre.
This spring, art lovers have another reason to visit the city: The 14th Gwangju Biennale, Asia’s largest and oldest arts festival, will run throughout the city from April 7 to July 9 under the theme of “Soft and Weak Like Water.”