Figures from American Express’s latest quarterly Global Foreign Exchange Services Currency Index also reveal that dollar sales soared by 10% last year as US holidays proved popular for Brits.
Terry Perrin, director of trading and business development at American Express Global Foreign Exchange Services, said: ‘Although 2009 proved a tough year for travel in general, sales of the US dollar saw a significant 10% increase in demand over the course of 2009, despite exchange rates still being a long way off the two dollars to the pound we saw at its peak in November 2007.’
Looking to this year, he said: ‘With 50,000 football fans heading off to South Africa this summer, we expect to see a surge in demand for the South African rand.
‘Currently ranking at number 14 in the 2009 league table we certainly expect to see it as one of the top ten most popular currencies of 2010.’
Non-eurozone destinations Egypt and Thailand moved up the table in 2009 and look to continue their popularity throughout 2010.
The Egyptian pound passed the Australian dollar to become the fourth most popular currency for Brits.
Other long-haul destinations showing increased demand from the UK in 2009 include Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.
The ten best-selling currencies in the UK last year were: euro; US dollar; Turkish lira; Egyptian pound; Australian dollar; Canadian dollar; Bulgarian lev; United Arab Emirates dirham; Thai baht; Mexican peso.
See also:
Florida stages a recovery (02/03/2010)
Stronger sterling means more holiday spend (01/02/2010)
Amex reveals 2009 winners and losers (27/10/2009)
Turkey bucks downward trend (19/10/2009)
Brits focus on long-haul (07/08/2009)
Savvy consumers tracking exchange rates (17/06/2009)