Vietnam the most affordable destination for Australian tourists

ASIA has overtaken Europe as the new hotspot for Australian travellers seeking a bang for their buck, a study has revealed.

Vietnam rocketed to the top of the latest Expedia HiFX Foreign Exchange Index, which measures currency fluctuations against the Australian dollar to find the best-value destinations for travellers.

The dollar appreciated by more than 23 per cent against the Vietnamese dong in the past year, leading to the spike.

Samoa and Argentina also performed well, with the dollar appreciating by over 19 per cent against the Samoan tala and nearly 18 per cent against the Argentinean peso.

Hong Kong, the UAE, India and Peru also made the list for the first time.

The results are in contrast to the last Expedia index in September, which was dominated by European nations.

Hungary, Latvia, Denmark, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and the Czech Republic were among the top value-for-money destinations last year but failed to make this year’s list.

Coming in at number six on this year’s list, the US still provides great value for money for Australian travellers.

Despite not making the top 10 list, both the Eurozone countries and the UK are quite affordable, with the Aussie dollar appreciating close to 7 per cent against the Euro and just over 5 per cent against the British pound in the past year.

“The strength of the Australian dollar against so many of the world’s currencies, not least the US dollar, provides Aussie travellers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to head overseas and make use of the amazing exchange rate and deals,” Louise Crompton, Senior Manager Marketing for Expedia Australia and New Zealand, said.

The findings are in contrast to where Australians are actually travelling to. According to Travel.com.au our favourite world cities for 2011 are London, Los Angeles, Bali, Bangkok, Auckland, Singapore, Paris, Manila, Hawaii and Phuket.

Meanwhile New Zealand, the US, Indonesia, the UK, Thailand, Fiji and China were the most popular travel destinations during 2010, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures.

Top 10 best value destinations

1. Vietnam (Dong) +23.11%

2. Samoa (Tala) +19.21%

3. Argentina (Peso) +17.56%

4. Turkey (Lira) +14.32%

5. Hong Kong (Dollar) +12.68%

6. United States (Dollar) +12.62%

7. UAE (Emirati Dirham) +12.42%

8. India (Rupee) +11.42%

9. Peru (Nuevo Sol) +10.98%

10. Poland (Zloty) +10.74%

Tags: Vietnam destinations