British tourists to pay less than a year ago in winter sun hotspots

Hoi An was the best value winter sun destination (Image: Getty) Dreaming of a winter holiday under the sun? There’s good news for British tourists as new Post Office Travel Money research has found long-haul winter sun destinations are cheaper than they were a year ago. Hoi An, a charming ancient town, on Vietnam’s coast, is this year’s cheapest long haul destination. A cup of coffee will set holidaymakers back just £1.36 in the Vietnamese hotspot. A can of Coke costs just 98p on average while a three course meal for two adults with wine costs just £34.03. A drop in local prices and the falling value of the Vietnamese dong have brought costs down by 20 percent since last August. Mombasa, a coastal resort in Kenya, took second place while Cape Town rounded off the top three. Prices are also down in Bali, Tokyo , Phuket and Penang and Delhi and Sharm-el-Sheikh entered the top 10 for the first time. Hoi An is this year’s cheapest long haul destination (Image: Getty) British holidaymakers might want to avoid Cancun in Mexico and Tamarindo in Costa Rica where prices have risen since last year. Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic recorded the biggest price rise with costs soaring by almost 20 percent compared to a year ago. 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. Mombasa, a coastal resort in Kenya, took second place (Image: Getty) ‘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.’ Lesley Rollo, managing director at Travelbag, said: ‘Our customers have always been savvy about where to get the best value whilst on holiday, and we’re seeing this in our booking trends this year. ‘Mirroring this report, the Far East has by far been our biggest booked region over the last 12 months with a 127 percent increase in bookings year on year.’ Cheapest winter sun destinations Hoi An, Vietnam Mombasa, Kenya Cape Town, South Africa Bali, Indonesia Tokyo, Japan Delhi, India Phuket, Thailand Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt Penang, Malaysia Colombo, Sri Lanka