Bulgaria sees off Japan and Portugal to be named the best value tourist hot spot for 2018
Sunny Beach on the Black Sea coast has been named as the cheapest destination for Brits to go on holiday
When buying eight essential items there such as a meal for two, drinks and sunscreen, the total cost is £37.92
Bulgarian destination beat Japanese capital Tokyo into second place while the Algarve was third cheapest
The most expensive destination for Brits is Singapore while visit Dubai can also be a big hit to the wallet
UK holidaymakers will find the best-value for money break during 2018 in the Bulgarian resort of Sunny Beach, according to a new report from Post Office Travel Money.
The holiday hot spot on the Black Sea coast has taken the top spot in the annual Worldwide Holiday Costs Barometer for the first time, seeing off the likes of the Algarve in Portugal and Japan.
To compile the report, the Post Office compares the cost of eight everyday tourist items in 44 cities and resorts worldwide to see where the pound will stretch furthest.
And with the Bulgarian Lev becoming a fast growing currency, the study found for just £37.92, a tourist could buy a meal for two, drinks, sunscreen and insect repellent - the cheapest out of all the destinations.
Surprisingly, the second cheapest place was Japanese capital Tokyo, where the same items could be purchased for £43.14.
Coming in third was the Algarve where holiday essentials cost £44.25, fourth was Prague in the Czech Republic with the average price was £53.40 and fifth was Cape Town, South Africa where items cost £54.95.
The rest of the top 10 places the pound goes further is the Costa del Sol, Marmaris in Turkey, Paphos in Cyprus, the Croatian destination of Porec and Budapest.
However, the report also showed the biggest price falls of all have been in long haul destinations, thanks to a combination of the stronger pound and lower charges in shops, restaurants and bars.
Prices have dropped 36 per cent in Dubai (Jumeirah Beach, £141.23) and 27 per cent in New Zealand (Auckland, £104.80).
Prices have also plummeted in the Caribbean by 31 per cent in St Lucia (Rodney Bay, £99.61) and Antigua (Jolly Beach, £114.18); 27 per cent in Jamaica (Montego Bay, £105.53) and 26 per cent in the Dominican Republic (Punta Cana, £67.46).
There have also been significant price falls in two long haul cities that have risen to prominence in Post Office barometers in recent years.
Tokyo remains the cheapest long haul destination and has moved up from eighth to second place in the barometer of 42 global favourites on the back of a 26 per cent price fall.
Cape Town, which has also attracted growing numbers of UK visitors because of its favourable exchange rate and low city costs, returns to the best value top 10.
The top tourist city in South Africa has moved up from last year’s 11th position after registering a 16 per cent drop in prices.
These are the only two long haul destinations to feature in the top 10 as Europe continues to dominate.
However, rising prices mean holidaymakers can expect to pay more in 11 of 12 European resorts and cities.
Prices have risen by a third to £44.25 in the Algarve, last year’s best value destination, which has dropped to third place.
The biggest increase has been in the Costa del Sol, where prices have increased by over 42 per cent to £55.20 – the result of steep increases in the cost of eating out.
The only European destination to register a price fall was Porec in Croatia’s Istrian Peninsula. At £61.54, a drop of 11 per cent has taken the Croatian resort into the worldwide barometer top 10 for the first time, in ninth place.