Post Office survey shows where the pound goes further
Holiday spending money will go furthest in Hungary and the Czech Republic, according to a recent survey by the Post Office.
Further afield, cash-strapped Brits will find they are best off in in Thailand and South Africa, where costs are lower and the pound is stronger.
“Although year on year sterling has dropped in value by over 10% against the forint and 15% against the koruna, its relative strength against these currencies, combined with lower local tourists costs, make Hungary and the Czech Republic two of the best value destinations for 2009,” said Gordon Gourlay, managing director of First Rate, foreign exchange wholesaler for the Post Office.
First Rate predicts that UK travellers will be keeping a closer eye on exchange rates than in previous years in order to take advantage of any beneficial currency fluctuations.
“We expect that in 2009 foreign exchange retailers will find that many people who are travelling to the eurozone will be monitoring exchange rates well in advance so they can purchase their travel money to coincide with rises in sterling’s strength against the euro, rather than just their imminent departure," added Gourlay.
The survey found that Turkey, Bulgaria and Croatia are cheaper than any of the eurozone countries, although Spain made it into the top 10 lowest-priced destinations.
Key eurozone destinations like Greece and France are also now looking more competitive.
The South Africa rand is worth over 8% less than a year ago, making it the fourth cheapest in the table of 27 countries.
In Kenya, a weaker shilling, hotel and flight discounts and low tourist costs make the destination an attractive prospect.
The Post Office’s Worldwide Holiday Costs barometer measured the cost of tourist staples in 27 countries.
The top 10 cheapest destinations are listed below.
The figure shown is the total cost of buying a cup of coffee, bottle of Heineken and a can of Coco Cola in a cafe, a bottle of mineral water, sun cream, insect repellent from a supermarket, a packet of Marlboro Lights, and a three-course evening meal with wine in a local restaurant.
Prices are the lowest average resort prices supplied by tourist offices.
HUNGARY £35.72
CZECH REPUBLIC £37.32
THAILAND £39.27
SOUTH AFRICA £43.18
MALAYSIA £45.19
TURKEY £52.32
BULGARIA £52.52
KENYA £52.60
CROATIA £61.58
SPAIN £64.18
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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