Bulgaria and Turkey resorts offer best value for Brits on holiday

Resorts in Bulgaria and Turkey are likely to be cheaper for British holidaymakers than those in the eurozone this summer, according to new research.

The Post Office Travel Money’s annual Family Holiday Report compared costs in 16 European destinations and found that prices have risen in three-quarters of them since the pre-Covid summer of 2019.

This was because of a combination of higher resort charges for meals and drinks and sterling’s fall in value.

The report features a Beach Barometer of 12 items including a family meal, drinks, sun cream, insect repellent and beach equipment ranging from buckets and spades and lilos to pedalo rides.

Sunny Beach in Bulgaria (pictured) and Marmaris in Turkey both reached about £86 for the Beach Barometer.

Local prices have doubled in Marmaris compared with 2019 but the collapse of the Turkish lira since then has helped to reduce the impact.

Despite these price rises, resort costs in Sunny Beach and Marmaris were more than 20% lower than in the cheapest Eurozone resort, Portugal’s Algarve (£108), and about half the price of the two most expensive destinations.

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The barometer basket in Puglia, Italy, was almost £186, while Ibiza was the highest-priced in the survey at more than £186.

However, prices have fallen in both destinations by about 5%.

Nick Boden, head of Post Office Travel Money, said: “Sterling’s recent fall against European currencies and ongoing uncertainty about how it will perform in the coming weeks means that keeping a tight rein on resort spending will be crucial for families this summer to avoid busting the holiday budget.

“We also found that prices can vary dramatically between resorts in the same country. In Greece, for example, barometer costs were 17% lower in Corfu than in Crete.”

Consumer research conducted for the Family Holiday Report found that 59% of families are planning trips abroad this year but 76% of them bust their budget by more than a third on their last holiday.

The report’s Beach Barometer was produced for the first time in partnership with Tui.

Richard Sofer, commercial director at Tui UK & Ireland, commented: “Despite the rising cost of living, there are plenty of holidays that demonstrate good value for money for our customers for this year and beyond.

“We are seeing strong demand, especially for holidays in these more affordable destinations, with Turkey bookings up 60% versus 2019 and the Algarve remaining a firm family favourite, with bookings up a third on 2019.

“We’ve seen a trend towards customers booking our great value all-inclusive offerings in these destinations, which allows customers to budget more effectively when it comes to the total cost of their holiday.”