Bob, I think the main point is you should never be worse off serving your country just because you serve overseas. Just because it may be sunny/perceived to be nicer than the uk is no recompense for the shoddy accommodation/loa/lack of employment for partners etc.
The way things stand the RAF cannot get people to volunteer for overseas tours hence the proganda push, the reduction in LOA seems strange when you consider the lack of volunteers. We have posts here that have been open for over a year with no volunteers, the only way to fill them is the carrot/stick of promotion (which many turn down rather than go overseas!) alas that doesn't work on SACs.