Sri Lanka tops list of bargain wintersun destinations
Monday, 26 September 2011
The Post Office Travel Money 2011 Long Haul Holiday Report puts Sri Lanka as the best value destination for a second year, closely followed by Thailand and then Vietnam.A ‘shopping basket’ of 10 items including a three-course meal for two with wine, costs just £31.81 in Sri Lanka, where competition between resorts has had a ‘calming effect’ on prices.
The test group of 28 destinations shows that prices have fallen in more than 66% of destinations, such as South Africa, where resort costs have fallen by 27% since last year’s football World Cup.
China showed the year’s biggest price rise of 27% (£116.43) and Hong Kong came in as the most expensive destination overall (£132.06), despite being 11% cheaper than a year ago.
Post Office head of travel money, Sarah Munro, said: ‘After a summer when the weak UK pound bought less holiday cash in Europe, tourists heading further afield for wintersun can look forward to seeing their pounds stretch further in most long-haul destinations.
‘The UK pound will buy over 19% more Kenyan shillings than a year ago and is also stronger against Caribbean and Latin-American currencies.
‘Holidaymakers visiting the US, Dubai and Egypt will be quids in too.’
Prices in the Dominican Republic, surveyed for the first time this year, were cheapest in the Caribbean at £63.83 – 44% less than Barbados (£114.44), the most expensive of six Caribbean islands surveyed.
The combination of strong UK pound – up 4.9% against the Egyptian pound compared with this time last year – and a 12% drop in local prices means that popular locations such as Sharm el Sheikh will be good value this winter, say the Post Office.
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