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Jamaica 'offers best value for Brits'

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Source: Catherine Deshayes

British holidaymakers who want their sterling to go as far as possible should consider booking a trip to Jamaica, according to new research by the Post Office...

The Jamaican Dollar has weakened against the Pound more than any other major currency, depreciating by 21 per cent since last year and spelling bargains for sun-seeking Brits.

Holidaymakers can now get 125 Jamaican dollars for £1, compared with 103 dollars in January 2009.

Other countries whose exchange rates have shifted in Brits' favour include Egypt (down 14 per cent), Dubai (down 13 per cent) and Antigua / St Lucia (down 12 per cent).

The Post Office also looked at the average cost of a typical basket of goods purchased by holidaymakers - a meal out, a bottle of beer, a cup of coffee, a postcard and some sun-lotion.

In that survey, Hungary, Thailand and Bulgaria emerged as the three most affordable destinations, with the basket of goods for each country coming in at less than £40.

By contrast, the basket of Jamaican goods cost £79.74 - more expensive than in many European destinations due to the high inflation rate that Kingston continues to suffer from.

The report comes as Jamaica's Minister for Tourism, Ed Bartlett, predicted a six per cent growth in tourism in 2010, fuelled by recent investment in the Caribbean travel sector.

To discover more about Jamaica check out Cheapflights' newly released Travelnomics report (PDF), which looks at ten of the countries hardest hit by the global economic downturn.

Source: www.cheapflights.co.uk