The referendum for the decision to leave Great Britain from the European zone began to take shape in 2013 and it was in June 2016 that the Brexit triumph was decided by a majority of 51.9 percent. Since then, there have been many negotiations that this country has held with the European Union to define the terms of its plan.
Among the main areas of concern at a global level were trade and immigration, as well as the possible consequences of Brexit for tourism. Focusing on the latter, against all odds, the data indicates that the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union has driven the arrival of tourists from other parts of the world.
For this reason online travel agency loveholidays conducted a survey with over 2000 participants living in the UK, about how likely it would be for them to travel abroad the following year. The results actually come in agreement with our data about how Brexit has affected tourism, proving that in fact more and more people are looking for short and long haul trips abroad.
Moreover, Loveholidays has created a tool that makes finding your next destination easier than ever, and tailored to your free time and budget. It is one of the biggest online travel agencies in the UK and, and the results of the survey confirm that travel abroad for the British is at an all-time high. Without further ado, let’s take a look at how exactly Brexit has affected the travel industry.
Positive consequences of Brexit for tourism
Within the British economy, the tourism sector presents figures that are far from the red numbers that were predicted at the beginning. During 2017, tourism in this country increased by 8 percent, mainly due to the devaluation of the pound that allows tourist money to yield much more. On average, the British currency has dropped by 15 percent compared to others and although for the economy it represents a negative point, in the case of tourism it is extremely beneficial.
It has always been considered that the United Kingdom was a place with quite high prices, but the loss of value of its currency has made it a more accessible country for tourists. So much so that it comes to occupy the eighth position of the most popular countries in the world for foreign travellers, according to Euromonitor International.
Given this panorama, it is obvious that hundreds of companies related to the tourism sector have emerged that have managed to achieve numerous benefits. During the month of August of 2017, the United Kingdom registered the visit of almost 4 million more tourists with respect to the same period of 2016 (5 percent more). In economic terms, these travellers spent more than 3,000 million euros, which represents 3 percent more than in 2016.
On the other hand, although the devaluation of the pound has favoured the arrival of new tourists, in the case of the British themselves it has caused the opposite effect. Due to the impact on their purchasing power, during 2017, 3 percent less of the natives made a trip outside their country. With these figures, the population of the United Kingdom is in fourth place worldwide when it comes to travel to other countries.
What was the forecast of consequences of Brexit?
Before this data was confirmed, all the predictions were that the consequences of Brexit in tourism would be negative. In this sense, different factors were established that could reduce the numbers of travellers that would visit the United Kingdom.
Thus, it was predicted that airlines would increase air travel as an effect of the possible restrictions on flying through that territory. Similarly, the experts also pointed to a decrease in the legal protection of travellers, an increase in the cost of calls for a probable regulation of the Roaming service, as well as the termination of reciprocal health care among European citizens.
However, the percentages show that these forecasts on the consequences of Brexit in tourism have not been met. Regardless of whether you belong to the European Union or not, the United Kingdom is always a destination that is worth traveling to enjoy in first person all its amazing attractions. Therefore, if you decide to visit this country for the first time or you are already a regular, now is as good a time as ever to go!
