Paris Voted Top Romantic Weekend Destination

In a survey of over 2000 Londoners* by ICE – International Currency Exchange, the travel money provider, these cities were voted the most romantic in Europe. Paris interestingly also scored highly for value for money, just behind Amsterdam, which was voted top for those on a budget. Perhaps surprisingly, 14% of men have returned to the same city with a new partner for a romantic weekend and 9% of women have done the same.

63% spend between £200 and £499 on the cost of the weekend, and when it comes to the all-important romantic meal, 27% said they'd spend no more than £74 for two including wine for both diners suggesting visitors to Italy and France are more likely to sample the culinary delight of pizza or steak frites rather than truffles or soufflé. A mere 7% of men and just 5% of women would push the boat out when it came splashing the cash on a candlelit supper for two costing up to £200.

Koko Sarkari, COO of ICE said, "It's clear from our survey that savvy Londoners don't let love go to their heads, when it comes to budgeting for a weekend away but with the Pound against the Euro now at 1.232 compared to 1.158 last October**, weekend trippers should enjoy a bit more spending power. Wherever they go on a romantic weekend, travellers should always shop around for the best deals and to secure the best rates – whether that's online, branch or at ATMs."

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November 2014

For further press information please contact the ICE Press Office at HSL – Maddy Roles, Parm Evans or Alison Reeson on 020 8977 9132 or iceteam@harrisonsadler.com

*Figures based on independent survey of 2,062 UK adults conducted by Consumer Intelligence 5-11 March 2014
** Exchange rates from iceplc.com – 15/10/13 vs 15/10/14

Notes to editors

International Currency Exchange (ICE) has been providing retail foreign exchange for over 40 years and today has over 400 locations in 20 countries, on four continents, conducting one transaction every six seconds. Through its retail network, ICE offers a wide range of products and services to support the travelling public's requirements, including foreign currency and phonecards. ICE's online products include commission free secure next day home delivery currency and the ICE Travellers Cashcard, an innovative prepaid MasterCard® in £, € or US$, which can be loaded with holiday spending money before travelling, allowing all the convenience of using a bank debit or credit card, but without the risks and charges sometimes associated. iceplc.com | Find ICE on Facebook (facebook.com/iceplc) and follow them on Twitter (@icetravelmoney)

R. Raphael & Sons plc (Raphaels Bank) is the issuer of the ICE Travellers Cashcard and is a Credit Institution authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Raphaels Bank is a leading issuer of prepaid cards in Europe with over 4 million cards issued through 20 partners across 14 European Countries with over 140 programmes ranging from gift cards to full Chip & PIN cards to mobile technology payment

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