Report: Exchange rates changing travel habits

Fluctuating foreign exchange rates and the recent decline in sterling against the euro and US dollar is changing tourists' travel habits, a new report has found.

One country where Brits might be able to get more for their money is the Seychelles, where 171,000 UK residents visited in 2007, according to a survey by the Halifax.

The report showed that whereas one English pound would get holidaymakers 15.64 rupees in June last year, in December it would have got them 25.11 – a 66.6 per cent increase.

In the same six-month period, other currencies gave tourists more spending funds too. Brits could get 15.3 per cent more Brazilian real, 12.6 per cent more Icelandic krona and 6.8 per cent Australian dollars.

Martin Ellis, chief economist at Halifax, said the currency exchange rates are not "all doom and gloom".

"The pound has … risen in value against a number of currencies … making it more affordable … to holiday in … a number of destinations further a field."

In other related news, Apacs recently warned that fraudsters are using British credit cards abroad in countries that do not have chip and pin.