All inclusive holiday destinations 'proving popular'

Turkey is among the all inclusive holiday destinations that are proving increasingly popular with British travellers this year, according to a new report.

A foreign currency index released by American Express shows that sales of the Turkish lira were 115 per cent higher in the first quarter of 2011 than in the same period of last year.

The lira emerged as the fourth most popular currency during the period, behind the euro, US dollar, Australian dollar and Egyptian pound.

British consumers also showed more demand for the Mexican peso, which achieved a 168 per cent increase in sales year-on-year, climbing seven places to fifth in the index.

Popular holiday destinations such as New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates and Thailand have slipped down the ranking, but still feature in the top ten.

Terry Perrin, director of American Express Global Foreign Exchange Services, pointed out that both Turkey and Mexico offer favourable exchange rates for Britons and are also established all inclusive holiday destinations.

"The 'all inclusive' holiday trend has increased in recent years as holidaymakers, especially families, like to plan their spend ahead of time," he added.

"Therefore, locations like Turkey and Mexico offer the best of both worlds for a lot of Britons."