By Neil Lancefield
Copyright independent
UK holidaymakers planning long-haul winter sun holidays will pay less for tourist items in two out of three popular destinations compared with a year ago, new figures show.
Asian destinations offer the best bargains, occupying seven of the top 10 cheapest locations analysed for a report by Post Office Travel Money.
Vietnam’s Hoi An was found to have the lowest local prices for UK visitors out of 30 destinations analysed.
A small drop in local prices and the falling value of its currency, the dong, have combined to bring costs in the coastal city down by 10.9% since last autumn.
A basket of 10 tourist staples was more than 8% lower in Hoi An than South Africa’s Cape Town, which was ranked the second cheapest destination after a 0.3% year-on-year fall in costs.
The goods analysed include a cup of filter coffee in a cafe or bar, a small bottle or tube of insect repellent, and a three-course evening meal for two adults with a bottle of house wine.
Local prices in third-placed Bali, Indonesia, have risen by 10.8% since last autumn, but an 11.3% fall in the value of its currency – the rupiah – against the pound means costs have dropped by 0.5% for visitors from the UK.
Mombasa, Kenya, was ranked fourth, with Tokyo, Japan, taking fifth place.
Laura Plunkett, head of travel money at the 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 – especially in many Far Eastern and Caribbean countries where a combination of these factors means reduced prices for British travellers.”
