Report names cheapest resorts for summer
Holidaymakers are likely to find resorts more expensive this summer compared to last year as sterling has fallen from its seven-year high, but the Post Office claims the pound will still stretch further in many destinations than it did five years ago.
Sunny Beach in Bulgaria is the cheapest holiday destination in Europe for the third year running, according to Post Office Travel Money’s 10th annual Holiday Costs Barometer.
Despite a 9.3% year on year rise in prices, a basket of essential items still costs only £41.55, it said.
Next come the Algarve, Cyprus and the Costa del Sol, where the same goods cost £52.65.
"However, with packages to Spain selling like hot cakes after falling demand for Turkey, there has been speculation that prices may rise. If that happens, savvy travellers could head north for the sandy shores of Asturias, where package and resort prices are low. In Gijón the barometer total is £61," said the Post Office Travel Money report.
In sixth place Costa Blanca, prices have fallen 6% year on year, it said, bringing the cost of a basket of essential items down to £62.29.
In Greece, the lowest prices (according to the survey) are in Crete (7th), followed by Zante (8th) then Kefalonia (10th). In British favourite Corfu, prices are up more than 14%.
Porec on Croatia’s Istria Peninsula is the ninth cheapest resort in the survey while in the Balearic Islands Menorca emerges as better value than Majorca or Ibiza, the most expensive of the islands. The Post Office claims that a basket of essential islands here costs 53% more than in Menorca.
It found that prices had fallen in Sorrento, although the Italian resort remains one of the most expensive surveyed, only a few pence cheaper than Nice in the south of France.
Andrew Brown of Post Office Travel Money said: "The pound may be worth less in Europe than a year ago but our research suggests UK tourists who choose destinations carefully could find resort prices lower than expected. However, sterling could be affected – positively or negatively – by the EU referendum vote.
"For those still at the planning stage, it will be wise to compare prices for tourist staples in resorts you are considering before booking. This could make all the difference to how far the holiday budget will stretch."
The survey claimed that prices had fallen since 2011 in 10 countries including Cyprus (45%), Croatia (30%), Algarve (28%), Bulgaria (23%) and Turkey (21%).
However, it should be pointed out that this is only one survey, with information supplied by national and regional tourist boards and, in the case of Bulgaria by Balkan Holidays and in the case of Turkey and Majorca by Monarch Airlines.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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