Brits 'flock to Thailand over winter'

Thailand has been the leading long-haul destination outside the US for British travellers so far this winter, new figures from International Currency Exchange (Ice) reveal.

While the euro and the dollar remained the company's top two currencies in December 2009, the Thai baht took third place after seeing a 48 per cent rise in demand from the previous month.

Australia was fourth in the long-haul destination league, while New Zealand ranked fifth following an 86 per cent increase in orders for its dollar last month.

The United Arab Emirates dirham moved from 14th in Ice's list in December 2008 to seventh the following year, with the pound strengthening by over 12 per cent against the currency during 2009.

Andrew Hamilton, head of marketing for the currency firm, said: "It may have been a white Christmas for some parts of the UK but festivities on a far-flung beach and new year celebrations ahead of the rest of the world proved too hard to resist for many Brits.

"The biggest surprise is the popularity of the New Zealand dollar, with sales shooting up month-on-month."

Other currencies that featured in the top ten for December 2009 include South Africa's rand and Canada's dollar.

Posted by Kate, 19 January 2010 11:38

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