April 2009 brought a taste for the East according to the monthly foreign currency report from international currency exchange experts, www.iceplc.com, ICE. In April, UK travellers placed more orders for the Korean Won and Japanese Yen than ever before putting these currencies into the top twenty list of all currencies ordered from ICE, ranking at 15th and 18th on the list respectively. The Qatar Riyal also made its first appearance on the list as the 10th most ordered currency in April as travellers headed for the heat, sand dunes and salt flats of this middle-eastern destination.

Closer to home, orders for the Euro beat off all other currencies in April, regaining the top spot in the ICE monthly report. The Euro was up 14% on March and 21% up on average as UK travellers chose to hop over to the likes of Italy, France and Spain for their Spring holidays. Poland also held its appeal as orders of the Polish Zloty were up 56% on March.

However, Thailand remains the third most popular destination for Brits as orders of the Thai baht ranked at number 3 in April after the Euro and US Dollar, proving the consistent allure of South East Asia where the exchange rate offers travellers greater value. The Singapore Dollar was also up 135% on March putting it at 11th on the list.

While orders for the Mexican Peso were very strong in the first week of April putting the Peso at 8th on the list of most ordered currencies, orders gradually declined during the latter part of the month with sales dropping off completely by 26th April as the scale of the swine flu outbreak in the country hit the world's media.

Finally, the South African Rand normally in the top 5, has fallen out of the top 20 for the first time since June 2008.

Andrew Hamilton, Head of Marketing for ICE said: "The Japanese Yen made it in to the charts for the first time in April when many festivals are held across Japan to celebrate the blossoming of cherry trees. UK travellers are currently able to buy 141.87 Yen to the Pound and while the perception is that Japan is an expensive place to visit, the reality is that if you buy local food and produce it is relatively inexpensive. Korea is also growing as a tourist destination, as our currency chart has shown, with the communist North Korea actively supporting tourism to the country. It's certainly a place to travel to if you are looking for value - UK travellers can get 1787.11 Korean Wons to the Pound.

"Not surprisingly sales of the Mexican Peso took a nosedive in the final week of April after a strong performance at the start of the month. However the latest news suggests that restaurants, cafes, libraries, museums and churches in Mexico City are to reopen this week after a fall was recorded in new cases of the swine flu virus. Mexico certainly offers UK travellers good value for money when it comes to food and drink."

"The key to a good holiday is leaving money worries at home. That's where good planning and research can really pay dividends when buying foreign currency and ICE should be the first stop for travellers looking for value, convenience and security."