This was published 7 years ago
Strong Australian dollar: The best value destinations for Australian travellers right now
By David Whitley
The Aussie dollar is up 91 per cent in Mozambique, which has a coastline with spectacular beaches.Credit: iStock
The struggles of the British pound are well documented – its freefall means Aussies get 62 pence to the Aussie dollar now, versus 46 pence a year ago. That's a 34 per cent increase. But while Britain is clearly a relative bargain at the moment, where else have the currency markets made much better value than previously? We compared the conversion rates from one, two and five years ago to find out.
Suriname
If challenged to list the countries of South America, there's a strong chance that Suriname would be the one you get to last. It is, fair to say, somewhat under the radar. Capital Paramaribo does a nice line in Dutch colonial houses and forts, but Suriname's strength lies in its heavily-forested interior where adventure tourism companies run mountain and jungle trekking trips or rather more relaxed river dolphin-spotting cruises. More importantly, though – you get more than twice as many Surinamese dollars for the Aussie dollar than you did a year ago. The AUD is now up 125 per cent. See www.surinametourism.sr
ECE4TX Bordered by rain forest, granite rocks, and sandy beaches: the Suriname River in Upper SurinameCredit: Alamy
Mozambique
Second on the list of worst performers against the Aussie dollar this year is the Mozambican metical – the Aussie is up 91 per cent. Mozambique, like much of southern Africa, has a nice line in wildlife tourism. But its real trump card – which is slowly being realised and developed – is a long Indian Ocean coastline with spectacular beaches. Those around Ponta d'Ouro – with whale sharks and pounding surf – are the best set up for visitors. But the real honeypots are in the north around the mangrove-flanked, diver-friendly Quirimbas Archipelago. See www.visitmozambique.net
Argentina
It's probably the third worst performing currency that's of most interest though. The Argentinian peso has been through a horror show – the Australian dollar has risen 71 per cent against it in a year and 154 per cent against it in three years. That means those legendarily cheap steaks are even cheaper, you can fill your boots with Malbec, take an extra tango lesson and spend a little longer exploring the icy southern reaches of Patagonia. See www.argentina.travel
Ukraine
Widen the scope out to two years, and it's still the Surinamese dollar and Mozambican metical that have fallen most against the Aussie dollar. But another interesting one is the Ukrainian hryvnia. The Aussie dollar has gone up by 68 per cent against it since 2014, largely aided by Vladimir Putin "not me guv, honest" act in the east and Crimea. But capital city Kyiv is relatively stable and massively underrated – all golden domes, cave monasteries, communist era statues and rollicking nightlife. It's also the departure point for deeply disturbing, but unforgettably fascinating, trips into the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. See www.traveltoukraine.org
Malawi
Over the course of five years, the Australian dollar has soared most against the Syrian pound (perhaps not worth taking advantage of that particular bargain right now) and the Malawian kwacha. You can get three times as many kwacha per dollar now, which is marvellous news for anyone fancying the boutique lodge scene, diving and snorkelling in Africa's largest lake and an emerging reputation for safaris. The Majete Wildlife Reserve in the south is the prime spot for wildlife watching. See www.visitmalawi.mw
Iran
Five years ago, you'd get 11,428 Iranian rial to the Aussie dollar, but now you'll get 24,125. It's a 111 per cent improvement, and a marvellous excuse to explore a country that has opened up considerably to tourism in that time. Iran has some rather ace desert and mountain scenery, but it is strongest on the cultural front – with 21 World Heritage sites including the Achaemenid Empire ruins at Pasargadae and the ancient city of Persepolis. See www.itto.org
Elsewhere
These borderline basket case currencies are marvellous for those who prefer off the beaten track holidays, but what about places that Aussies head to en masse? Well, the Aussie dollar has performed steadily but not brilliantly against most currencies of interest this year, and is up on all but a couple. It's up just over 7 per cent against the euro and American dollar this year, although the AUD is only worth 70 per cent of what it was against the dollar five years ago. And the same trends apply to the currencies tied to the US dollar – which includes much of the Caribbean and the UAE.
Other currencies it has steadily improved against include the Canadian dollar – up 9 per cent this year – and Indian rupee – up 9.5 per cent. In Europe, the biggest improvements are to be found outside the Eurozone. The pound's crash has obviously made the UK considerably cheaper, but traditionally pricy Sweden has also become much more affordable. The Australian dollar is up 12 per cent against the Swedish krona year-on-year.
Over the longer term, the not-so-humble Aussie keeps bullying the somewhat sheepish South African rand – it's up 27 per cent over five years – and the shaky Turkish lira (up 26.5 per cent).
On the flipside, when compared to Somali shilling, the Aussie dollar is worth a quarter of what it was five years ago. Although, let's be honest, that's not the biggest problem facing the Somali tourism industry right now…
Note: Figures taken from xe.com on October 29th in 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Figures correct at time of writing, but may have changed slightly based on daily fluctuations.
See also: Visiting the UK just got a lot cheaper for Aussies
See also: The top countries to visit in 2017 named
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