Bali offers best value for tourists

British holidaymakers looking for best-value world destinations are likely to have a ball in Bali but a disaster in Darwin.

For while Bali offers the cheapest items for those on long-haul breaks, Darwin in northern Australia is the priciest spot, according to a Post Office Travel Money survey.

Ten typical items of expenditure, including a three-course evening meal for two, cost just £43.91 in Bali but are as much as £124.69 in Darwin.

Cape Town (where the items are just £49.57) Hoi An in Vietnam (£53.04) and Phuket in Thailand (£54.39) are also among the best-value long-haul destinations, while Auckland in New Zealand (£121.35), Singapore (£120.85) and Beijing (£115.74) are among the most expensive.

Bali has taken over from Sri Lanka as being the best-value long-haul spot, with prices having risen steeply in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo.

In contrast, prices have fallen 1% in Bali, while visitors to South Africa are benefiting from the strengthening of the pound against the South African rand.

Of the American destinations surveyed, Orlando in Florida offers Britons the best value, with Miami having the highest prices.

In the West Indies, prices have dipped sharply in Jamaica and have also gone down elsewhere in the Caribbean, including in Barbados and Antigua.

Andrew Brown, of Post Office Travel Money, said: "After a summer when sterling bought less holiday cash for trips to Europe, winter sun tourists can look forward to seeing their pounds stretch further in many of the most popular long-haul destinations.

"However, we advise them to consider the whole picture and not just the package price before booking."