Cyprus Among Cheapest for Euro Tourists

Cyprus is the third-cheapest euro zone country to holiday in, according to a British survey looking at the price of ten holiday commodities.

The total cost for the items (cup of coffee, Coca-Cola, bottle of Heineken, bottle of Evian, Nivea sunscreen, postcard and stamp, insect repellent, Marlboro Light cigarettes, English newspaper and three-course evening meal for two in a local taverna) came to £41.30.

Apart from the £25 bill for dinner, the sunscreen is the most expensive individual item at £3.70, with the postcard and stamp costing 62 pence.

Commissioned by the UK Post Office, all prices were compares in British Pounds Sterling.

Portugal is the cheapest country with a total of £33.65 for the ten items, followed by Greece at £41.06.

Traditional holiday hotspots such as Spain and France are almost twice as expensive, while Turkey comes in at close to £45.

Worldwide, and perhaps due to a much lower cost of living than most of the other destinations, Bulgaria proved by far the cheapest country with a total shopping basket cost of just £16.86.

Egypt was the second most inexpensive, with Thailand third.

At the other end of the scale, the United States (Florida) is the dearest holiday destination, with the ten items costing £69.41.

An iPod or PlayStation 3 will probably be cheaper to buy in the States, especially given the dollar’s current low level, but the index shows that travellers will have to fork out up to four times more for items such as mineral water, beer, sunscreen and insect repellent, than in emerging holiday destinations, such as Bulgaria.

“You have to be careful when comparing costs in different countries,” said Kevin McAdam, head of travel services at the UK Post Office, who commissioned the survey.

“It all depends on their relative cost of living and it pays to be aware that favourable currency rates do not necessarily mean a destination will be cheap.”

He said that the barometer proves that one currency does not mean one cost.

“With a difference of £32.25 between the shopping baskets in neighbouring Spain and Portugal, it is clear that there are savings to be made depending on where you choose to holiday in Europe.”

The President of the Consumers Association said that it was good that Cyprus compared favourably with its neighbouring countries but said it was “disturbing” that Portugal is much cheaper.

Petros Marcou added that our tourist authorities, entrepreneurs and hoteliers should take a close look at the findings, with steps taken to ensure Cyprus is an enticing destination, with attractive prices.