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Weak pound ‘fails to deter long-haul travellers’
Sterling is weaker than a year ago against 16 of the top 40 currencies, but this hasn’t put holidaymakers off travelling, according to the Post Office.
It said its sales of the top 10 fastest growing currencies – all of which are for long-haul destinations – were up at least 30% in September.
One of the biggest increases was for the Japanese yen, which was up 42%, probably due to the country hosting the Rugby World Cup. However, the Post Office said holidaymakers were also attracted by the low cost of living as, surprisingly, Japan is the cheapest destination in its Long Haul Holiday Report.
Sales of the Trinidad & Tobago dollar have risen 53% year on year, and in September alone they were up 205%. The Jamaican and Barbados dollar were also up 37% and 36% respectively, while sales of the Dominican peso rose 32% and the East Caribbean dollar was up 6%.
The Post Office said interest in the Caribbean islands could be explained by falling resort prices. It said research by Travelbag for its Long Haul Holiday Beach Barometer showed there were falls of 32% in Antigua, 8% in St Lucia and 8% in Tobago. In total, prices were down in nine out of 16 resorts surveyed.
The best value long-haul resorts this winter, according to the Long Haul Beach Barometer, are Kuta in Bali and Hoi An (above) in Vietnam, despite the fact that the Indonesian rupiah and the Vietnam dong are amongst the top 10 to have risen most against sterling year-on-year.
Visitors to Dubai have also seen a 13% fall in prices, despite a 1.3% rise in the value of the UAE dirham against the pound.
In contrast, visitors to Phuket in Thailand face the double whammy of a weak pound and a 15% rise in resort prices. It is the destination with the biggest increase in costs, year on year, according to the Beach Barometer.
Latin America appears to be growing in popularity as a winter destination, with sales of the Costa Rican colon up 41%, the Chilean peso up 35% and the Peru Nuevo sol up 30%.
Closer to home, tourists are likely to see better value for money this winter in Scandinavia, where the pound has strengthened against the Norwegian, Swedish and Icelandic currencies.
For winter markets, the Post Office says Budapest offers the best value following a 4.8% rise in the value of the pound against the forint.
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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