Post Office Travel Money costs barometer shows Antalya and Marmaris are cheapest destinations in Europe. By Rob Gill.
Two studies have underlined the value Turkey offers as a destination to UK tourists – both for the price of the package and in-resort costs.
OTA On the Beach found Antalya offered the best value in Europe for those looking to stay in a resort with a high number of Blue Flag beaches, with average prices of £122 per week for a self-catering holiday for two.
The Post Office Travel Money’s annual Travel Costs Barometer report showed Marmaris was the second-cheapest beach resort for nine typical holiday items in a “basket”, ranking only behind Bulgaria’s Sunny Beach for in-resort value.
Post Office Travel Money said UK holidaymakers were benefiting from the pound’s rise against the Turkish lira in the past year, which has cut in-resort costs in Marmaris by 20% to £57 for the basket of items. This compared with £43 in Sunny Beach.
Andrew Brown, from Post Office Travel Money, said: “This may well be the year when it will pay to plan a trip outside the eurozone. There have already been reports of growing demand for Turkey as low-priced packages attract cash-conscious UK holidaymakers.”
Alan Harding, On the Beach’s marketing director, also highlighted Turkey’s growing value for UK holidaymakers, as well as Antalya’s proximity to 194 Blue Flag beaches.
“While Spain has more Blue Flag beaches than any other country overall, Antalya and its surrounding resorts – such as Belek and Side – is home to more Blue Flag beaches than any other single destination and offers phenomenal value in terms of accommodation,” added Harding.
Antalya ranked ahead of Portugal’s Algarve, Spain’s Costa Blanca, Cyprus and Majorca in the OTA’s list of the best-value destinations in Europe with a high number of Blue Flag beaches.
But there are signs that prices in eurozone resorts are rising; Post Office Travel Money found prices for the nine items rose in 11 of the 13 eurozone destinations surveyed, compared with 2017 – prices only fell year-on-year in Crete (£81) and Nice (£114).
Elsewhere, there has been a 17% rise for in-resort costs in the Algarve, with the items rising to £68, although the area remains the cheapest among eurozone destinations, just ahead of the Costa del Sol at £72.
The most expensive destination for in-resort costs was the southern Italian resort of Sorrento with the price of the nine items reaching £123, just ahead of Ibiza (£118) and Limassol in Cyprus (£117).
Outside the eurozone, there was a big disparity in the movement of resort costs in Croatia, with prices in Zadar falling 10% year-on-year to £98 but going up 8% in Porec to £106.
The biggest gap within a single destination was seen in Spain, where the highest costs were in Majorca at £108 for the basket of items – 51% higher than in the Costa del Sol.
The most expensive item in the survey was a three-course meal for two, including a bottle of house wine. Prices ranged from £39.24 in Sunny Beach to £64.22 in Limassol, Ibiza and Sorrento.
“The cost of eating out is always a big consideration for holidaymakers and this year we found meal costs in Sunny Beach and Marmaris are significantly lower than in any of the eurozone resorts surveyed,” said Brown. “On a week’s holiday, the cost of lunch and dinner ranges from £243 in Sunny Beach and £287 in Marmaris to well over twice as much in Sorrento. That’s why it will pay to do your homework before booking to find a resort that fits your budget.”