While the summer has now ended, there are still chances to enjoy some winter sun over the coming months. Heading on a long-haul holiday might seem like an expensive way to soak up the rays, but a new list of the best value locations will help travellers find a great deal. A new Post Office report found that the best places to bag a winter sun bargain are in the Far East and the Indian subcontinent.
To work out the cheapest destinations, the Post Office looked at the price of a basket of 10 tourist staples, including: a cup of coffee, a bottle of local lager, a bottle of Coca-Cola, a glass of wine, a cocktail, a small chocolate bar, a bottle of supermarket mineral water, a bottle of suncream, a tube of insect repellent, and a three-course evening meal for two adults.
The destination with the best savings for Brits is Hoi An in Vietnam, which tops the chart of 30 long-haul locations. The basket of staples cost tourists £58.81, 8% lower than in runner-up Cape Town, South Africa, where it cost £64.28.
In third place is Bali, where a basket of staples costs £67.79. The Indonesian province also has the cheapest meal price, with a three-course dinner for two people with wine costing just £35.48. The research, conducted with the help of national and regional tourist offices, found that the sterling’s value is likely to play a key role in keeping prices down.
Also in the top five is Mombasa in Kenya, where the basket costs £68.33. It overtakes Tokyo in Japan, which drops down into fifth place after prices rose by 5,6% to £68.61. Colombo, Sri Lanka, takes sixth place with a basket of goods costing £73.93, and Delhi is eighth on the list with a total cost of £85.89.
The top ten has also seen two new entrants: Penang in Malaysia, and Phuket in Thailand.
Laura Plunkett, Head of Travel Money at Post Office, said: “Local prices are stable in most of the destinations we surveyed, with falls in over 40 per cent 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.”
She continued: “Holidaymakers can save themselves a lot of money if they pick a winter sun destination where the pound is riding high and where tourist costs are low. They can check resort prices online and ensure they change enough holiday money to cover the cost of meals, drinks and other tourist items.”