Three popular Greek islands, which have a significant presence in the British tourist market, are included in the Top 10 best value for money travel destinations for family holidays for holidaymakers from the UK this summer. While, one more island of our country is found in the total of all 16 destinations, studied. This was revealed in the latest research, conducted by TUI and British Post Office ‘2024 Post Office Travel Money Family Holiday Report’.
In particular, according to the findings of the survey, despite the fact that the total expenditure on meals, drinks and other basic items have “tightened” this year, compared to last year, Kos “stands out” as the most economical Greek destination, ranking sixth in the ranking, with the cost of meals, drinks and other essentials used by Britons on holiday rising to £150.33 from £144.41 last year, up 9.8% on last year.
Two places below, in eighth place, is Rhodes with a cost of 156.93 pounds from 152.31 last year, up 5.8% (+6.5% from last year).
The top ten is completed by another Greek presence, with the island of Corfu, with a cost of 167.36 pounds, up from 164.09 pounds last year (+112.3%). It is recalled that for several years Corfu has been the most value for money Greek destination for British families on holiday in Greece.
Another popular Greek destination, Crete, is included in the overall ranking of the 16 destinations surveyed, coming in 15th place, with a cost of £180.21, down marginally by 0.2% compared to last year.
Sunny Beach in Bulgaria surpassed Marmarida in Turkey to emerge as the most affordable family holiday destination in this year’s survey.
The study compared the cost of 10 key items, including meals, drinks and sunscreen, and found that Sunny Beach offers the best value for British tourists in 2024.
Costing just over £110 for all 10 items, Bulgaria’s most popular Black Sea resort beat 15 top family holiday destinations such as Algarve, Ibiza and Lanzarote to be crowned the place where British tourists will get the best value for money.
It was ahead of Marmaris, which was ranked first in last year’s ranking of popular travel destinations with the best price, by £7.
The survey also found that inflation in Turkey had pushed up the cost of 10 items by 17.6% last year, which caused Marmarida to lose the position it held in 2023.
While there was a 9.8% price increase in Sunny Beach over the same time period, the survey found that there were many savings compared to Turkey. For example, a bottle of beer in Sunny Beach is £1.50 cheaper than in Marmarida, a bottle of sunscreen is £4.23 cheaper and a three-course family meal with wine and soft drinks is also £4.23 cheaper.
Both destinations offer plenty of child-friendly activities, along with beautiful beaches.
Anyone thinking of going to Ibiza should be prepared to spend significantly more money, as the average cost of 10 items is double that of Sunny Beach. At £229 for the 10 items, the survey found that the Balearic Island was the most expensive destination out of the 16 countries surveyed.
The resorts’ positions in the table are closely linked to inflation, with the survey finding that prices had risen in three quarters of holiday destinations. Five of the 16 places saw increases of more than 10%, with Marmarida, Ibiza, Corfu, Madeira and the Algarve most affected.
Laura Plunkett, head of Travel Money at Post Office, said: “Although the pound is stronger now than it was last July, price inflation across Europe means families need to factor increases in meals, drinks and other tourist costs into their spending budget. Doing some holiday research before travelling could help reduce the chances of going over budget.”
