Savvy travellers 'heading further afield'

British travellers looking to get as much holiday spending out of their currency as possible are increasingly choosing long-haul destinations, according to a new report by International Currency Exchange (Ice).

The group's latest research indicates that, for the first time, the Thai baht was one of the top three currencies bought by UK travellers in February.

While the euro continued to occupy top spot in the rankings, the dollar currencies of the US and Australia both appeared in the top five, along with the Czech Republic's koruna.

Andrew Hamilton, head of marketing for Ice, said: "It was a big surprise to see orders for Thai baht rise 102 per cent on average, pushing it ahead of Australian dollar orders and into the top three currencies in February 2009.

"Even further abroad, Brazil looks set to be this season's Mexico as Brits recognise the great exchange rate on the Brazilian real."

The currency of Brazil was ranked seventh in terms of popularity in the Ice list, ahead of the dollars of both New Zealand and Canada, which also featured in the top ten.

Steven Barnes of Abta - The Travel Association said at the recent Destinations travel show in Birmingham that the credit crunch has prompted British travellers to broaden their horizons regarding holiday destinations.

Posted by Clare, 16 March 2009 16:47

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