The latest British Post Office annual holiday costs barometer surveyed 36 destinations to compare the cost of meals, drinks and other essentials British tourists are likely to buy while abroad.

The survey found that the British pound now has more bearing than it did last year, as prices in Paphos dropped 15.2% compared to 2021, pushing Cyprus up from eleventh to fifth place.

The drop in the cost in Cyprus is the third largest compared to the rest of its destinations on the list.

According to the survey, Turkey and Bulgaria offer the best value overall for the goods surveyed with £26.13 and £26.19, respectively. Prices are down in both, but a 37% drop in Marmaris sees it take the top spot from previous leader Sunny Beach in Bulgaria, although only a few pence separate the two.

Portugal’s Algarve (£44.39) is third and again cheapest in the Eurozone, with costs 25% lower than the Costa del Sol in sixth (£59.56).

Cape Town, South Africa, ranked fourth, with prices down 1.6% to £53.23.

Paphos ranks fifth with prices dropping to £56.44 from £85.92.

Mombasa in Kenya was seventh with £61.30.

Sliema, Malta (ninth) has also entered the top 10 after recording a 5.8% fall to £76.94.

Keeping a lid on prices

In comments to the Financial Mirror, a local tourism stakeholder and member of the Pafos Regional Board of Tourism said that the BPO survey confirms that tourism enterprises in the town and district are doing their best to keep a lid on prices, pushed up by inflation and the war in Ukraine.

“All Paphos stakeholders have come to terms that they will have to do everything in their power to keep up the town’s good reputation, especially with UK tourists in the aftermath of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine,” he said.

Paphos relies heavily on British and Russian tourists, with the latter most likely not being able to find their way to the island due to the war in Ukraine and sanctions on Russia.

Prior to Covid-19, over 53% of Cyprus’ record 3.97 million tourist arrivals in 2019 came from the UK (33.5%) and Russia (19.7%).

Cyprus had three successive boom years before the pandemic struck, with British arrivals peaking at 1.4 million in 2019.

Source: Financial Mirror