Bulgaria, Turkey and the Algarve among best-value destinations for 2019
Costs for eight tourist staples including meals and drinks have fallen in almost half of the 42 destinations surveyed by Post Office Travel Money in its annual Holiday Money Report.
Six of them are European destinations, with Bulgaria, Turkey and the Algarve giving best value.
Singapore (£120.66) and St Lucia (£80.09) head the list of 19 destinations where holiday costs have dropped in the past year.
The cost of St Lucia’s barometer basket was far cheaper than in four other Caribbean islands (Antigua, Barbados, Jamaica and Tobago).
A sharp rise in the value of sterling against the Brazilian real explains why prices have plunged by almost as much in Rio de Janeiro where the barometer basket totals £111.19, a fall of 19.5%.
The well-documented volatility of the Turkish lira also explains why Marmaris, Turkey’s most popular resort, is one of three European beach destinations that take the top three places in this year’s barometer. Prices have fallen 18.7% since last year to £45.23.
The Turkish resort is behind Sunny Beach, Bulgaria, where prices are over £9 lower than Marmaris, at £36.03. Prices in Sunny Beach are 5% cheaper than last year.
Portugal’s Algarve (£50.11), a past winner, is in third place although prices for the barometer basket have risen 13.2%.
A price fall of 2% to £54.12 has helped Spain’s Costa del Sol to close the gap on the Algarve and move up to fifth place in the table.
Malta, Nice and Corfu also saw sizeable year-on-year reductions.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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