Post Office Travel Money: Best value long haul destinations
British holidaymakers eyeing winter sun bargains will find the best value in the Far East and Indian subcontinent, according to the latest Post Office Travel Money Long Haul Holiday Report.
Vietnam tops the chart of 30 long haul destinations in the 17th annual report, while the UK’s leading foreign exchange provider also found big price falls in Malaysia and Thailand.
They are among over two-thirds of destinations surveyed where barometer costs are lower than a year ago.
Top Vietnamese resort Hoi An has regained its position as the cheapest destination, which it last held in 2023.
A small drop in local prices and the falling value of its VND currency, have combined to bring costs down by 10.9% since last autumn.
At £58.81, the barometer basket of 10 tourist staples3, including a three-course evening meal for two and a range of drinks, is over eight per cent lower than in Cape Town, South Africa (£64.28), which has dropped one place to this year’s runner-up position.
Post Office research conducted with the help of national and regional tourist offices found that sterling’s value is likely to play a big part in keeping down prices.
For example, local prices in third-placed Bali have risen 10.8% since last autumn but an 11.3% fall in the value of the Indonesian rupiah against the UK pound means barometer costs are slightly lower.
Bali also boasts the cheapest meal price, with a three- course dinner for two people with wine costing just £35.48.
Completing the top five destinations, Mombasa, Kenya has moved up to fourth place, overtaking Japan’s capital Tokyo, which drops back to fifth place after prices rose by 5.6% to £68.61.
There are two new entrants to the top 10 – Penang, Malaysia in seventh place and Phuket, Thailand in ninth place.
In the Indian sub-continent, falling prices have enabled Sri Lanka to gain ground on India while Delhi has dropped to eighth after prices leapt 14.6% to £85.89.
Laura Plunkett, Head of Travel Money at Post Office said: “Although sterling has fallen from its high point earlier this year and there are concerns about possible volatility this autumn, it’s important to note that it is stronger against most currencies than a year ago.”
“Furthermore, local prices are stable in most of the destinations we surveyed, with falls in over 40% of them, so the prospects for winter sun holidaymakers look bright.”
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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