The Post Office has just released its figures for currency sales for June to August with some quite surprising results.
Top of the fastest growing currency list is the Vietnamese Dong with 106% growth. At Putney Travel we have been having quite a bit of interest in Vietnam holidays this autumn however we would not have expected it to figure so highly. The next two in the growth list were not that surprising with the Australian dollar surging on the back of the Lions tour and a much improved strength of the £UK (12% up on last year) while the New Zealand dollar has enjoyed a Hobbit bounce to help re-kindle some Middle Earth magic. Another big long-haul climber is the Rand and with the £UK gaining so much ground (+20%) there has rarely been a time when a South African holiday has been better value.
Overall this year the top currency sales spots are held by the usual suspects of the Euro and US dollar. Seeing the Croatian Kuna at no.7 reminds us how popular a summer holiday to Croatia has become and with the Thai Baht and UAE Dirham both improving their overall position it reconfirms them both as key UK holiday destinations.
What this is showing us is simply a snapshot of who has been buying what currency in what volumes. At Putney Travel we would suggest that you potentially look more closely at the value of currencies against £UK and the improving value the holidaymaker might get. Here we would place South Africa and India clearly at the top of the list, and as both of them can be pretty good value anyway it’s a doubly good story. Countries that have traditionally been seen as expensive, or have become so, where the £UK now looks much better than a year ago are Japan and Australia. If you needed an excuse to visit them then how about that – what are you waiting for?
by TMS