GOOD and bad news: Prices at top vacation destinations are even lower this year, but you can’t visit them – just yet.

Turkey and Bulgaria, the two most advantageous destinations, are up to 25% cheaper than in previous years, a new report reveals today.

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The problem is that Turkey is on the UK red list for travel and Bulgaria, despite being on our green list, recently banned Britons from entering.

But would-be vacationers are still taking vacations and currency to both hot spots in the hopes that the rules can change sooner rather than later.

And there’s more good news – while green and amber destinations may not be so easy on the wallet, there are still some great bargains to be had.

Prices are down at more than half of European resorts surveyed for the Post Office Beach Barometer of 12 Family Items, and the rise of the British pound against European currencies means holiday money is now set to expand a bit more.

LILOS AND ICE CREAM

But hopeful vacationers who still decide where to visit should be careful, as prices at resorts across the euro zone vary by as much as 132 percent.

The same items cost £ 126 less in the Algarve than in Nice, the more expensive in the survey.

This means that families could save hundreds of dollars on resort expenses if they choose carefully where to spend their vacations.

Prices in Portugal are 16% lower than in Spain and 24% lower than in Greece, these are the three countries best rated by holidaymakers themselves.

Portugal’s Algarve is the cheapest in the Eurozone for the barometric basket, at £ 95.51, for expenses that include a family meal, drinks, sunscreen, bug spray and beach items ranging from buckets and shovels, lilos and ice cream with mask and snorkel sets and pedal boat rides. Prices are down 1.5% from 2019 levels.

Another Portuguese favorite, Madeira, is the second cheapest in the eurozone at £ 110.07. It is one of four destinations studied by the post that are currently on the UK’s green list.

Croatia is also on this green list and tour operators are reporting a sharp increase in last minute bookings.

At £ 144.75, and tenth in the barometer, prices in Porec are 3.4% higher than in summer 2019.

Despite this, Croatia has grown in popularity over the past decade and could be a big draw, albeit a bit pricey.

Indeed, a quarter of families polled by the post said they had more to spend on vacation after realizing foreclosure savings. The largest drop in costs in the 11 Eurozone destinations studied is in Cyprus, listed in amber.

At £ 113.08, prices in Paphos are down 16.7% from summer 2019. There are savings to be made in Mallorca as well, down 5.6% to £ 122.32 and in Corfu, down 2.1% to £ 125.74.

In contrast, prices are up 10.7% in Nice to £ 221.63 and up 10% on the Costa del Sol to £ 114.17.

Although the Spanish favorite fell to sixth place on the barometer, it is the cheapest of the four Spanish destinations surveyed.

Items in Mallorca are over seven percent more expensive, while Lanzarote (£ 124.74) and Ibiza (£ 178.63) are even more expensive.

The lowest prices aren’t in eurozone destinations but in Turkey and Bulgaria, which are the best bets for bargain hunters at one-third the cost of most eurozone resorts.

READ TURKISH

Turkey may still be on the UK’s Red List, but the continued decline in the value of the Turkish Lira against the British Pound has made it one of Post Office Travel Money’s bestsellers in recent years. months, indicating that the British are keen to travel to the country when it becomes possible.

The weakness of the lira has made Turkey by far the cheapest of the 14 destinations studied for the Beach Barometer.

At £ 58.80, its first resort, Marmaris, saw a price drop of 24.4% compared to 2019 in the last price comparison.

Prices in the resort town of Sunny Beach in Bulgaria fell significantly, but the 16.5% drop to £ 66.22 was due to a mix of stronger pound and lower resort costs.

Food and drink prices were the lowest in Europe, but the high cost of a water ride in Sunny Beach – £ 16.29 compared to £ 7.31 in Marmaris – helped the Turkish resort land the first place.

Although Bulgaria’s new green list status would have made it a popular choice, holidaymakers will have to wait for the Bulgarian government to lift its ban on British visitors.

Nick Boden, head of Post Office Travel Money, which accounts for one in four currency exchange transactions in the UK, said: “After such a long wait, it’s understandable that families want to head to European seaside resorts for a bit. of summer sun.

“But the large variations we found between costs at European resorts mean that it will pay off to do some homework before you leave home and have a realistic view of the vacation money needed at resorts that are needed. ‘they are considering. “