A Post Office Travel Money report has identified Cape Town in South Africa, Mombasa in Kenya and Tokyo in Japan as the most affordable winter sun destinations for British holidaymakers. The analysis of 24 popular holiday spots found Cape Town offers the lowest prices on goods commonly purchased by tourists, with the Japanese capital and the Kenyan coastal city following closely behind.
Report methodology
The Winter Sun Holiday Costs Barometer is calculated using prices for everyday items such as an evening meal, drinks, insect repellent and sun cream. It does not factor in the cost of flights or accommodation. For the first time, the research included both short and long-haul destinations, covering only locations reachable without transiting through a Middle Eastern airport.
Cape Town has topped the chart as the best-value winter sun destination on numerous occasions, with prices dropping by 9.7% since March this year, Post Office Travel Money confirmed. A three-course dinner for two, including a bottle of house wine, came to just £39.26 in Cape Town, compared with £119.26 in Scarborough, Tobago, which ranked as the priciest destination surveyed. In Mombasa, the same meal cost £42.78, while Tokyo came in at £48.50.
European and Asian options
Portugal's Algarve, Spain's Costa del Sol and Tenerife in the Canary Islands proved the most affordable among the eight European resorts assessed. Of the overall ten cheapest destinations, four were located in Asia – namely Penang in Malaysia, Phuket in Thailand, Colombo in Sri Lanka and Tokyo.
Laura Plunkett, head of Post Office Travel Money, said: "Our research again picked up wide variations in the cost of tourist staples, particularly in areas like the Caribbean and in Europe." She added: "This means holidaymakers could save themselves money and cut the cost of their winter sun holiday by doing some basic holiday pricing research before booking."
