Despite facing price rises in nearly two thirds of international destinations, UK travellers were also rewarded with price falls in destinations at home, according to the latest Hotels.com Hotel Price Index.

The HPI looks at prices that travellers actually paid for their hotel rooms around the world in the first six months of 2012 compared to the same time last year. Of the 39 UK destinations covered by the HPI, prices only rose in 10 – while 29 destinations demonstrated prices that were either flat or falling.

The city with the biggest price decrease was St Andrews, which saw its prices fall 15% to £133. However, the Scottish city was still the most expensive in the UK. In Bath, second most expensive city, the average cost of a hotel room remained flat at £112 per room night.

On the whole, major UK cities experienced price falls during the first half of 2012. Newcastle-upon-Tyne dropped 11%, and prices in Liverpool and Manchester dropped by 6% and 5% respectively.  Despite the prestigious honour of hosting the 2012 Olympic Games, prices of London hotels also decreased by 2% demonstrating that whilst the Games undoubtedly put a spotlight on the capital, hotel price hikes and record occupancy, which many expected, did not materialise.

Those cities to experience a rise in hotel prices tended to be those that hosted events or exhibitions on a lesser scale to London 2012, but still of significant importance to British tourism. The biggest rise was shown by Belfast, where the Titanic exhibition opened at the end of March 2012. Similarly Southampton and Portsmouth, both of which saw a record number of visitors thanks to the P&O Cruises 175th anniversary Grand Event, experienced rises of 12% and 6% respectively.

Alison Couper from Hotels.com said: “It’s great news for consumers that prices have stayed the same or dropped. Despite the lower numbers in London during the Olympic period, the fantastic atmosphere and legacy is likely to boost tourism into the capital.”