IT’S a good time for Brits to book a cheap holiday as prices plunge in many popular and unexpected travel hot-spots, a nation-wide travel report has revealed.
The Bulgarian resort of Sunny Beach on the Black Sea Coast offers UK holidaymakers the best value for money, while mainland Spain continues to entice tourists with its beaches, culture and cuisine.
Opting to holiday here could save travellers at least a third of the costs involved in any of the Eurozone destinations surveyed.
And survey respondents agreed, with 87 per cent of holidaymakers voting for Spain as the best bang for one’s buck, in a survey released today by Post Office Travel Money.
Every year, millions of British tourists head to the sunny European nation for its combination of glistening beaches, unique culture and Mediterranean cuisine.
Coming out on top were lesser-known regions, such as Uceda – a 40-minute drive from Madrid.
But Bulgaria’s resort town of Sunny Beach was the real travel winner as the best value destination for its sixth consecutive year.
Affordable local costs and favourable pound sterling exchange rates helped to boost the spending power of UK tourists.
Portugal’s Algarve coastline came in a close second with prices down by over 16 per cent.
Porto is the best bet for a bargain break in Western Europe, with prices a third lower than in Lisbon.
Marmaris in Turkey was revealed as third cheapest in this year’s report.
A slump in the value of the Turkish lira means UK visitors will get around a third more lira for their pounds than a year ago.
Holiday bookings for the April to December period are already up 65 per cent from last years numbers.
Greece provided holidaymaker another popular option, rivalling Spain with a similar value for money score of 85 per cent.
Slovakia’s capital of Bratislava came out as the ninth cheapest city in Europe and a popular choice for millennials with prices 44 per cent lower than in nearby Vienna.
Further afield in Indonesia’s tourist mecca of Bali and the beaches of Thailand, Brits can stretch the pound even more with luxury options at bargain prices.
Here, the sterling is stronger than a year ago.
Visitors can snap up a romantic retreat in jungle-style bamboo tree houses just a stone’s throw from quiet beaches for a fraction of the price paid at home.
Meanwhile, other previously popular destinations plunged in traveller ratings.
The United Arab Emirates city of Dubai was deemed ‘poor value’ by 72 per cent of those taking part in the survey.
Along with Dubai, other expensive choices included Scandinavia, France and Italy.
Sorrento and Nice were revealed as two of the most expensive resorts.
The Caribbean, the US, Mexico and the Balearic islands proved to also be pricey options.
The rankings were revealed in the Post Office Travel Money’s yearly Worldwide Holiday Costs Barometer.
To compile the report, the Post Office compares the cost of eight everyday tourist items in 42 cities and resorts worldwide to see where the pound will stretch furthest.
An additional survey correlated traveller’s impressions of value for money with the Costs Barometer above.
Most holidaymakers admitted they bust their budgets on trips abroad.
On an average budget of £717 per couple, two-thirds of those surveyed said they spent £184 (26 per cent) more than they intended.
They also revealed that flights and resort costs were their biggest price concerns.
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