Revealed: The best-value long-haul winter sun destinations for Britons – and it’s Vietnam that’s cheapest, with a bottle of beer there costing just £1.78 and a 3-course meal for two £43
- The ranking was determined by Post Office Travel Money’s Long Haul Holiday Report barometer
- It compared the cost of 10 tourist staples in 28 destinations to see where Britons will get the best value
- In first-place Hoi An, Vietnam, a bottle of beer will cost Britons £1.78 and dinner for two is priced at just £43.14
The best-value 2022 long-haul winter sun destinations for Britons have been revealed in a new study – and it’s Hoi An in Vietnam that’s number one in the ranking.
It’s here where their pound will stretch the furthest, followed by Cape Town in South Africa (second), Mombasa in Kenya (third), and Tokyo, Japan (fourth).
Meanwhile, Bridgetown in Barbados has been deemed the worst-value long-haul winter sun destination for British holidaymakers.
The best-value 2022 long-haul winter sun destinations for Britons have been revealed in a new study – and it’s Hoi An in Vietnam (pictured) that’s number one in the ranking
Cape Town (above) in South Africa is the second-best-value destination for British holidaymakers, Post Office Travel Money reveals
This is according to Post Office Travel Money’s Long Haul Holiday Report barometer, produced in partnership with holiday firm Travelbag, which compared the cost of 10 tourist staples in 28 destinations worldwide to see where Britons will get more value for money.
The basket of goods that was compared includes a cup of filter coffee, a chocolate bar, a cocktail, suncream, and a three-course evening meal for two with a bottle of wine.
Sterling’s recent slide in value means that holidaymakers planning winter sun trips to 80 per cent of the destinations surveyed will have to pay more than in 2019, when the last report was published, Post Office Travel Money reveals.
Post Office Travel Money’s Long Haul Holiday Report barometer compared the cost of 10 tourist staples in 28 destinations worldwide to see where Britons will get more value for money
However, while the report found rises of over 20 per cent in 14 destinations, it also found sizeable falls in several popular resorts from Thailand to Dubai, and from Brazil to Jamaica. And in Hoi An.
It’s the first time that Vietnam – which has risen from fourth place – has topped the barometer chart, with Post Office Travel Money noting that although sterling has dropped in value against the Vietnamese dong, a sharp fall in local prices means that costs for Britons are down 10 per cent to £67.78. A bottle of beer will set travellers back £1.78 and dinner for two is priced at just £43.14.
Cape Town (£68.49) retains its runner-up position in the report, while third-place Kenya (£77.41) has risen two places.
The basket of goods that was compared includes a cup of filter coffee, a chocolate bar, a cocktail, suncream, and a three-course evening meal for two with a bottle of wine
Tokyo (£81.63) has dropped from the top spot to fourth this year after recording significant price rises, Post Office Travel Money reveals. Barometer costs have risen by 38 per cent in the city, despite a 16 per cent fall in the value of the Japanese yen against sterling since 2019.
Barometer costs have also risen – this time by 15 per cent – for Kuta, Bali (£82.40), which has slid from third to fifth place in the ranking.
At £93.53, prices in sixth-place Phuket, Thailand, have plummeted by 20 per cent, due to a ‘combination of local price falls and a nine per cent drop in the Thai baht’s value against the sterling’.
The Kenyan city of Mombasa is third overall in the ranking with a basket of goods priced at £77.41
Tokyo (£81.63) has dropped from the top spot to fourth this year after recording significant price rises, Post Office Travel Money reveals
Rio, Brazil, ranks in seventh place – prices are down over six per cent to £102.25 after an 11 per cent fall in the value of the Brazilian real. Montego Bay, Jamaica, meanwhile, is eighth in the ranking – at £110.67. Prices there are six per cent less than in 2019, due to lower local prices.
In the USA, Orlando (£111.87, ninth) has retained its top 10 place despite a 29 per cent rise on 2019 price levels, an ‘increase compounded by the growing strength of the US dollar’, Post Office Travel Money reveals. By comparison, the same items cost 50 per cent more in New York (£169.09, 24th).
The final destination to make it into the top 10 is Penang, Malaysia – at £111.93. Barometer prices there have increased by 25.8 per cent since 2019.
Cancun, Mexico (£115.07, 11th), and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic (£117.5, 12th) look relatively good value for money, although prices have risen by 43 per cent in Cancun in the past three years, Post Office Travel Money notes.
Bridgetown in Barbados, pictured, has been deemed the worst-value long-haul winter sun destination for British holidaymakers
Barometer costs have fallen by almost 10 per cent to £135.96 in Jumeirah, Dubai, allowing the resort to rise 11 places up the table to 16th, its highest-ever position.
At the most expensive end of the table, prices have increased by 34 per cent in Barbados (£238.64, 28th).
Seychelles (£234.80, 27th) is the second-most-expensive long-haul destination. The report found that it was almost doubly as expensive as Grand Baie, Mauritius (£122.02, 13th), another popular Indian Ocean holiday hotspot.
The biggest increase of over 55 per cent, however, was recorded in Antigua (25th), where the barometer basket in its capital, St John’s, rose to £179.16. In general, barometer costs have risen in all seven of the eight Caribbean and Central American destinations surveyed – Jamaica is the only exception, Post Office Travel Money reveals.
For more information on the study, visit www.postoffice.co.uk/longhaul.
WHY PLANNING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER BEFORE FOR LONG-HAUL TRIPS
Discussing the report’s findings, Nick Boden, Head of Post Office Travel Money, said: ‘With continuing uncertainty about sterling, it is more important than ever before for people planning winter sun holidays to do their homework and be aware of prices in destinations they are considering. Holiday costs remain low in popular long-haul resorts such as Vietnam, Thailand and Jamaica but people who choose the wrong destination risk falling victim to higher prices.’
The report comes as holidaymakers taking trips abroad may be reviewing their plans, according to consumer research conducted for Post Office by YouGov. It says that nearly three in five (59 per cent) of UK adults who said they were considering a holiday abroad ‘admitted that their plans were likely to be impacted by sterling’s volatility’. However, only a quarter of these said they would not take a holiday at all. Twenty-five per cent said they would choose a cheaper destination, 28 per cent will delay their trip and a third (33 per cent) intend to cut their spending budget, Post Office Travel Money reveals.
Lesley Rollo, Managing Director, Travelbag, commented: ‘What this report shows once again is the importance of doing your research before you book, and speaking to travel experts with on-the-ground visibility of what’s happening in your chosen destination. Our teams speak regularly with their contacts across the world in the destinations featured in this report and are well placed to make the decision of would-be travellers about where to go much easier.’
Nick Boden added: ‘We advise people planning long-haul trips to watch exchange rate movements in the weeks before their departure and purchase their holiday money when the pound rises in value. Our research shows that prices are higher in many destinations than in Europe. Holidaymakers who budget carefully to allow for this will benefit from the improved rates offered on higher-value currency transactions in our branches or online rather than leaving it to the last minute and getting less cash for their pounds in airport bureaux.’
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