| Top 20 selling Currencies |
% of currency volume |
| 1. US Dollar |
34.40% |
| 2. Euro |
26.90% |
| 3. Australian Dollar |
12.20% |
| 4. South African Rand |
3.20% |
| 5. Thai Baht |
2.90% |
| 6. Dominican Republic Peso |
2.80% |
| 7. New Zealand Dollar |
2.80% |
| 8. Canadian Dollar |
2.20% |
| 9. Mexican Peso |
2.10% |
| 10. Czech Koruna |
1.90% |
| 11. Hong Kong Dollar |
1.50% |
| 12. Chinese Yuan |
1.30% |
| 13. Bulgarian Lev |
1.20% |
| 14. Egyptian Pound |
1.00% |
| 15. Polish Zloty |
1.00% |
| 16. UAE Dirham |
0.50% |
| 17. Barbados Dollar |
0.50% |
| 18. Hungarian Florint |
0.50% |
| 19. Singapore Dollar |
0.50% |
| 20. Chilean Peso |
0.40% |
|
Recent research by leading foreign currency provider, International Currency Exchange (ICE), has revealed that, despite the current strength of the US Dollar to Pound Sterling, travelling to America may still offer good value for money, making it the number one choice for UK travellers.
Andrew Hamilton, Head of Marketing at ICE explains: "Surprisingly, even though the US Dollar has fallen from over $2.00 (end of July) to around $1.50 to the Pound we are still seeing large numbers of US Dollar transactions. In October and November the Dollar knocked the Euro off the top position in our currency chart for the first time in 2008, suggesting that travellers still consider America to be an affordable destination. And it is likely that the US Dollar could stay number one in December, with this being the traditional month for Brits heading to the US for Christmas shopping."
Longer haul holiday destinations outside the Eurozone are also becoming more popular as Brits look to make the most of their budget. The New Zealand Dollar, Brazilian Real and Turkish Lira made appearances in the ICE top 20 currency list in October 2008, while new entries in November were the Dominican Republic Peso and Chilean Peso. The Bulgarian Lev and Mexican Peso also moved up the ICE chart in November.
"Travellers have to be savvier than ever when planning their holidays, because the destination chosen will make a big difference to their overall spend", continues Andrew Hamilton. "We saw more orders for the Brazilian Real in October and for the Dominican Republic Peso and the Chilean Peso in November. I believe this reflects the growing interest in long haul destinations over the winter period, with UK holidaymakers opting for alternative destinations that, airfare aside, offer much cheaper goods and services.
"We have also seen sustained popularity for the Thai Baht over the last few months - but it will be worth tracking this to see if it drops off in December as the current political unrest keeps Britons away."
The ICE research also reveals that despite the Pound recently dropping by over 5% to the Euro in the past 6 months, British holidaymakers still headed to Europe for short breaks, making it the second most popular currency purchased over the past two months.
"Wherever they're heading, holidaymakers, now more than ever, should look to buy their foreign currency before they travel to ensure they get the most competitive rates and avoid additional charges incurred by getting money from ATMs and using UK credit cards abroad", concluded Andrew Hamilton.
Simply log on to
www.iceplc.com, select the currency you require, and if you order before 3pm your currency will be delivered direct to your door the next day – no queues & no fuss.
