Strength of sterling boosts spending power on Far East holidays
Vietnam’s Hoi An was found to have the lowest local prices for UK visitors out of 30 destinations analysed.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.UK holidaymakers planning winter sun holidays will pay less for tourist items in the vast majority of destinations compared with a year ago, new figures show.
A surge in sterling’s value against many long haul currencies – particularly those in the Far East – means prices have fallen in 88% of the locations included in a report by Post Office Travel Money.
Vietnam’s Hoi An was found to have the lowest local prices for UK visitors out of the 30 destinations analysed.
The positive exchange rate means winter sun tourists will see their pounds stretch further
Average prices in the coastal city include £34.03 for a three-course evening meal for two with a bottle of house wine, £4.33 for suncream and £1.36 for a cup of filter coffee.
A drop in prices and the falling value of its currency, the dong, means costs have fallen by 19% since autumn 2022 for UK tourists.
Kenya’s Mombasa was the second best value location in the study as an increase in the value of sterling against the Kenyan shilling has outweighed the effect of rising prices.
Holidaymakers visiting the US, Caribbean and Dubai will also see a boost to their spending power because of the recovery of sterling against the US dollar and the Caribbean and Middle East currencies that are pegged to it.
The report found that inflation has not been as significant in many long haul destinations as it was in Europe this summer.
Laura Plunkett, head of travel money at Post Office, said: “After a summer when we reported that holidaymakers would have to dig deeper in their pockets on European holidays because of rising inflation, our research found that local price rises have been relatively low in most long haul resorts.
“As a result, the positive exchange rate means winter sun tourists will see their pounds stretch further in the majority of destinations.
“However, while prices may be lower once they get to their destination, we advise holidaymakers to consider the whole picture and factor in the package price before booking.”