UK travel plans unchanged by Brexit vote – Travelzoo

THE UK – or at least England and Wales – voted to leave the European Union, but research suggests the impact on Britons travelling this summer will be minimal, as only 3% of them now plan to cancel due to concerns about the current value of the pound.

Global travel deals publisher Travelzoo conducted its June Travel Trends survey in the days just after the vote, and the results indicate that 37% of Britons are heading to the continent this year, with Spain and France emerging as the most popular destinations. The US is also proving popular, and is the highest ranked destination outside Europe. This news comes in spite of the pound’s instability against the dollar.

The increasing popularity of long-haul travel in general seems unaffected by the Brexit vote – Australia and Canada also made the top-10 list, joining destinations closer to home, such as Portugal, Greece, Italy and Cyprus.

Travelzoo is also reporting increasing demand for all-inclusive holidays, with more than a quarter (26%) saying they would be more likely to opt for one this year.

Joel Brandon-Bravo, UK managing director of Travelzoo said: ‘The stoic British spirit has prevailed and it’s incredibly positive to see people still pushing ahead with their holiday plans. However, for this to continue, we urge the UK government to act quickly to resolve uncertainties around visa restrictions and other possible changes impacting travel.

‘If they react slowly, and tourism is pushed down the list of priorities, British holidaymakers could be facing more expensive overseas holidays, and consequently we could see a dip in travel.’

Despite the vote to leave the EU last month, fewer than one in 10 (9%) are worried they’ll be treated negatively while on holiday, and over four-fifths (81%) said that the EU referendum has had no impact on their willingness to travel this summer.

When asked about how they feel about safety now we have voted to leave the EU, 21% said they believed being outside will make it harder to combat terrorism both abroad and at home in the UK.

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We still love you, Tenerife tells Brits after Brexit vote

THE #TENERIFE TOURISM CORPORATION is running what it calls a #bigwarmhug campaign to tell the British that the island is on their side regardless of the UK’s vote to leave the European Union.

Reaching out to both holidaymakers and the travel trade, the campaign will be primarily promoted via social media channels and will see the people of Tenerife offering a ‘big warm hug’ to British tourists already on the island. The Tenerife people, including taxi drivers and hoteliers will upload images of themselves hugging British tourists holidaying on the island to demonstrate their love for their most important source market.

Vicente Dorta, director general of the Tenerife Tourism Corporation, comments: ‘We are delighted to be running this campaign. The UK accounts for 34% of tourist arrivals to our island and we are very grateful to the British public. We wanted to run this campaign to tell the British people that we are thinking of them during this uncertain time and that no matter what happens, they are never out of our hearts.’

The tourism minister in the island’s government, Alberto Bernabe, adds: ‘The key to this campaign is to engage with as many people as possible – both on Tenerife and in the UK. With political uncertainty in the UK at the moment, we hope this campaign will show the British people that we are with them no matter what.’

Tenerife welcomed more than 1.7 million British visitors in 2015.

www.webtenerife.co.uk

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ABTA looks to allay holidaymakers’ fears over Brexit

THIS is a list of responses issued by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) to frequently asked questions from UK holidaymakers concerning the impact of Brexit…

How will Brexit affect my holiday? Until the UK officially leaves the European Union, not sooner than two years’ time, there will no changes to holiday arrangements. Travellers are as free to move between the UK and the EU as they were before the vote. European Health Insurance cards remain valid and regulations such as Air Passenger Rights remain in place.

I’m going to Europe this summer, is my passport still valid? Yes.

Which queue will I go into at the airport – EU passports or all others? The same queue as you did before the vote.

Do I need a visa to go to Spain? No.

Can I still get compensation if my flight is delayed or cancelled? Yes. There will be no immediate changes to claiming compensation if your flight is delayed or cancelled. The UK Government will need to implement a new law on compensation for flight delays and compensation after we leave the EU.

What about using my mobile phone abroad? Will roaming charges increase? There will be no immediate changes to using your phone abroad, and there won’t be an immediate impact on charges. The UK Government will need to implement a new law on roaming charges after we leave the EU, otherwise the service providers will be free to set roaming charges.

Can I still take money out from cashpoints abroad? Yes, you can continue to take out cash, as normal.

Will it be more expensive to go on holiday abroad? Not necessarily. If you are travelling abroad and you have already paid for all of your travel arrangements, as part of a package holiday for example, then you will be protected to a large degree from a drop in the value of the pound. However, your spending power while abroad will be impacted in the event of a weaker pound, making it more expensive to buy things such as meals and drinks.

Will the cost of flights increase? A weaker pound might impact the cost of flights in the short term, in the longer term the UK government will seek to negotiate full access to the EU’s common aviation market.

My travel company has asked me to pay more for my holiday due to the currency fluctuations. Is that ok? Check the terms and conditions of the organizer that you’ve booked with. If you’ve booked a package holiday this is covered by certain rules: the maximum surcharge by law is up to 10% of the original cost of the holiday. If you haven’t booked a package, you should check the terms and conditions of your travel arrangement.

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Industry stakeholders have their say on Brexit

‘Holidaymakers shouldn’t assume that Brexit means all that will be lost. The UK travel market is vital to the economy of many European countries and regions’

Joel Brandon-Bravo, UK managing director of Travelzoo:

“Following confirmation of a win for the Leave vote, the next 24 months of negotiations will be crucial for #British #travel – particularly if the UK Government wants to maintain in-bound tourism from the European Union and avoid a price hike for Britons wanting to travel abroad for holidays.

Obviously top priority is dealing with the impact the referendum result will have on the value of the pound, but there are other factors that could make the result a big blow for the travel industry. As such, we’re now urging the government to act quickly to re-negotiate how an independent UK operates in The European Common Aviation Area. UK airlines seem unanimous in the opinion that a #Brexit will lead to reduced competition, reduced routes, and higher travel prices.

Other factors now up for negotiation include the loss of the EHIC card – which gives EU members the right to health treatment in any EU country – a potential increase in phone roaming charges following a recent EU initiative cap on charges, and changes to visa regulations for Britons travelling to the EU.

With so many variables in play, it’s difficult to predict the exact impact the Leave vote will have on the tourism industry, but research suggests it will be a negative one. In order to ensure UK travellers and the UK tourism industry do not suffer as we enter the busiest months for travel, the British government has got to enter negotiations with Brussels immediately over the EU policy which impacts travel.”

Andrew Shelton, managing director of global flight search and travel deals website, Cheapflights.co.uk:

“The referendum result will throw the spotlight onto many benefits British travellers have taken for granted for years, including the agreements which created the environment for the budget airlines to thrive and kept airfares low across the board and encouraged the free movement of people, a currency deal that has made the Eurozone so cheap to visit for years, the end of mobile data roaming charges, and free healthcare within the EU.

Nobody could predict the outcome of the referendum, and we now face an uncertain future of speculation and re-negotiation. Those who have thought ahead and conducted thorough scenario planning for this eventuality are those who are best placed to navigate this new pathway – although we fear few will have done so given today’s shocked reactions.

Holidaymakers shouldn’t assume that Brexit means all that will be lost. The UK travel market is vital to the economy of many European countries and regions. It will be in their interests to seek ways to maintain the status quo. The government must now work hard to secure deals with the EU that support our vibrant industry and we believe maximum effort will be going in from all sides in the coming months and years to ensure the UK cash cow isn’t put out to pasture.

Some holidaymakers will be deterred from booking by the falling pound, but the British traveller has proven time and time again that nothing will stand in the way of them having their hard-earned holiday.”

Steve Witt, managing director of Not Just Travel and The Travel Franchise:

“Despite any exit from Europe taking two years or more to really happen, the biggest effect we will see in the short term is currency fluctuation and market uncertainty.

This means that the prices of travel and holidays could be affected in the future as we don’t know what the effect of currency changes will have on the price of holidays, hotels, fuel etc. Prices for the coming 6-12 months have probably already been fixed and guaranteed with tour operators, holiday companies, and hoteliers, therefore now is a good time to book a holiday.

We might see some prices rise in the future as things settle down, but we also might not because of the important aspect our tourism has on the world economy. The amount of money Brits spend abroad is considerable, so whether we are part of Europe or not, countries such as Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Spain and many other top holiday destinations need our business.”

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UK hospitality industry split over Brexit

A SURVEY of operators in the UK hospitality industry has found that 49% plan to vote leave in Thursday’s EU Referendum, while 43% plan to vote remain and 7% are still undecided. 

The survey by RPBi, the hospitality data specialist, found that the majority of recipients – whether voting to leave or to remain – believe a leave vote would have a ‘negative impact on the economy’.

The B2B survey received 1,915 responses from operators across all sectors of the hospitality industry. The aim: To determine the industry’s thoughts on the EU Referendum and the impact on recruitment and investment in the UK hospitality industry in the event of a leave vote.

Respondents taking part in the survey were asked the official referendum question: “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?”

Hospitality professionals in Wales were most in favour of voting to leave (64%), whilst those in London are the most likely to vote remain with 62.5%. Furthermore, the figures suggest that there will be more operators in Scotland voting to remain than leave; in all other regions, a higher percentage of hospitality professionals intend to vote leave. B&Bs and caterers are more likely to vote leave, with restaurants, hotels, and head offices more likely to vote remain.

Respondents, which included business owners and decision-makers, were also asked: “If the UK votes to leave the European Union, do you think it will be easier to recruit staff?” The majority thought there would be no impact (51%), with 34% stating it would be harder to recruit, 7% said it would be easier, to recruit and 8.5% said they “don’t know”.

Commenting on the results of the survey, Keith Britten, director of RPBi, said: ‘The results of the survey mirror recent national opinion polls. Surprisingly, for the hospitality industry, the majority of respondents said that there would be no impact on recruitment in the event of a leave vote; with only a third saying it would be harder to recruit.’

Further findings suggest that the older the respondent, the more likely they would be to vote leave – more than 50% of those over 55 intend to vote leave, as opposed to 26% for 25-34 year olds. Also, men are more likely to vote leave than women (50% vs 46%).

When asked “If the UK votes to leave the European Union, what do you think the impact will be on investment into the UK’s hospitality industry?”, more than a third of recipients said there would be “no impact” (38%), while 36% thought there would be reduced investment. In all, 13.5% stated there would be increased investment, and 12% said they “don’t know”.

Mr Britten concluded: ‘After analyzing the comments and survey results, the one key fact that stands out is that whichever way people decide to vote, the majority believe that a leave vote would have a negative impact on the economy. However, those voting to leave suggest that the negative impact will be short-lived and the benefits will be reaped in the long-term.”

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Brexit: More from the Ministry of Fear

AND still it comes from the Department of Fear, also known as the Remain campaign in Britain’s EU referendum. A so-called study by Travelzoo and Bournemouth University has found that:

A British exit from the European Union could cost the UK’s tourism industry up to £4.1 billion a year in international tourist spending

Many people in Europe would be “less likely” to visit Britain if it was outside the EU

Sentiment among the four largest EU nations – France, Germany, Italy, and Spain – is that the UK should stay in the EU, with just under 70% in the Remain camp

Firstly, note the word could.

Secondly, that people in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain want the UK to stay in the EU is in no way surprising: Britain is the second-largest net contributor to the EU’s vast budget. Since when have turkeys welcomed an early Christmas?

Thirdly, the survey also found that respondents from some nations – notably France – believe that leaving the EU could make Britain a safer destination for holidays … in which case, why would our neighbours across the Channel be “less likely” to visit Britain?

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Brexit? We’ll still travel, say Brits

MOST of the major companies and organizations in Britain’s tourism industries want the country to remain a member of the European Union (EU). They claim that leaving would hit the travel trade by making people think twice before booking holidays abroad. But a survey* by HolidayExtras.com suggests that their fears might be unfounded. The survey found that a British vote to leave the EU would not deter holidaymakers from travelling. Regardless of a potential increase in flight costs, the majority of Brits would not be discouraged from going on holiday abroad, with 37 percent stating they would travel to destinations within the EU whatever the costs, and a further 31 per cent claiming that if flight costs increased as a result of a Brexit, they would choose to venture to non-EU destinations. 

When asked about the potential rise in plane ticket costs as a result of a vote to leave the EU, the survey revealed that 46 percent of Brits don’t see why it would make a difference, with a further four percent claiming they could afford any increase, and three percent convinced that it would affect businesses more than consumers.

When questioned on other factors that might be affected by a British exit, 72 percent of travellers explained that they would not be concerned if their European Health Insurance Card was deemed invalid. Almost half of Brits (49 percent) said they take out travel insurance anyway, so it would make no difference to them, four percent have never understood what the EHIC is for, and 19 percent said they’ve never needed it anyway. It seems that changes to mobile phone roaming charges aren’t a concern for Brits either, as almost half of travellers are not concerned with the potential hike in costs.

Communications Director at Holiday Extras, Ant Clarke-Cowell explains: “Despite all the headlines regarding the implications that a Brexit would have, it appears that British holidaymakers have no concerns about how it might impact their travel plans. Many seem to believe that it’s businesses that would pay the price if we left the EU, and our poll implies that Brits are prepared to holiday whatever the cost. Over half claimed they had no concerns that a Brexit could increase flight prices, and almost three quarters have no qualms about the prospect of their EHIC being rendered invalid.;

*Holiday Extras polled more than 2,000 holidaymakers from across the UK in March 2016.

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Should we stay … or should we go?

Go Holiday editor David Kernek looks at the case for the UK staying in the EU, and finds it … underwhelming

WITH a Keep Britain in the European Union coalition that includes the President of the United States, the leading bigshots in the 28 member states of the EU, almost all of Britain’s mainstream political parties (Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, and Scottish and Welsh nationalists), a couple of ex-heads of MI5 and MI6, a former boss of Marks & Spencer, major players in the travel and tourism industries and not forgetting former prime minister Gordon Brown and Sir Richard Branson – no scrub that, let’s forget them – should those of us who had been intending to vote for a UK exit from the EU conclude that we are insane, exceedingly dense, or just in need of a cup of tea and a few hours of rest in a dark room, after which we’d realize that all of these eminent people really do know best?

There isn’t time or space enough here to highlight all of the deceptions, exaggerations, and absurd assumptions – and all of the examples of confused thinking – that characterize the Remain discourse, but I’ll have a go.

Never mind that the UK’s prime minister in his negotiation with the EU asked for a few slices of bread and came back with a handful of crumbs, or that in no meaningful sense do the new membership terms he finds acceptable leave us with a ‘reformed’ union.

No matter that British politicians have since 1973 deceived voters – and perhaps themselves – about the fundamental purpose of the Brussels project, which was and remains the creation of a continental superstate, the downsides of which have been inflicted so far chiefly on Greece (where the results of general elections now count for nothing), Italy (where an unelected cabinet was installed to head off a euro debt crisis), Spain, and Portugal.

Let’s not look at the way in which defence and security issues have been hauled in, as if the EU plays any useful part in the military and intelligence alliances that protect these islands … as if the open borders in the useless Schengen Zone have prevented terrorist murders in the capitals of Western Europe … as if a third continent-wide war might or could or possibly be the consequence of leaving what we were told was simply a free trade block, albeit one in which the laws of nation states are secondary to legislation approved by the EU’s Commission and so-called parliament – that’s the parliament that sits at enormous financial cost in both Brussels and Strasbourg. There are, believe it or not, defence experts in both the US and Britain who say a UK exit would have no adverse impact on the Anglo-American alliance.

Don’t give a second thought to the fact that many of the great and the good who are warning of the direst consequences of a British exit were the same great and the good who led the cheerleading for a UK entry into the financial and political swamp that is EU’s single currency zone … or that many of them have in one way or another had – or still have – a first class seat on the Brussels gravy train. When a university or research outfit sings the praises of the EU, ask how much folding money it gets from Brussels, and how much of it came in the first place from UK taxpayers.

Never mind that for every so-called expert who warns of chaos and failure for a Britain outside the EU, I could call in aid an economist, investment specialist, or defence expert to put the counter argument. Here are FIVE of them:

‘1.History amply demonstrates to us that when you impose artificial borders and artificial unity on a group of human beings, it tends to blow up nastily, and usually in your face.’ That was John Stepek, Editor, MoneyWeek

2.‘Contrary to the claims of many authors and commentators, it is probable that the impacts of Brexit on trade would be relatively small. Moreover, it is certainly possible that leaving the European Union would leave the external sector better off in the long run, if Britain could use its new found freedom to negotiate its own trading arrangements to good effect. It is plausible that Brexit could have a modest negative impact on growth and job creation. However it is slightly more plausible that the net impact would be modestly positive. There are potential net benefits in the areas of a more tailored immigration policy, the freedom to make trade deals, moderately lower levels of regulation, and savings to the public purse.’ That was Capital Economics.

3.‘The truth about Brexit from a national security perspective is that the cost to Britain would be low. Brexit would bring two potentially important security gains: the ability to dump the European Convention on Human Rights — remember the difficulty of extraditing the extremist Abu Hamza of the Finsbury Park Mosque – and, more importantly, greater control over immigration from the European Union. Britain is Europe’s leader in intelligence and security matters and gives much more than it gets in return. It is difficult to imagine any of the other EU members ending the relationships they already enjoy with the UK. Richard Dearlove, chief of MI6, 1999 -2004.

4.‘I don't mean to be arguing against the European Union, but with regards to these kinds of questions, the union is not a natural contributor to the national security of each of the entity states. In some ways it gets in the way of the state's providing security for its own citizens.’ General Michael Hayden, former head of the CIA.

5. ‘I am not saying for one moment that Britain couldn’t survive outside the European Union. Of course we could. We are a great country. The fifth largest economy in the world. The fastest growing economy in the G7 last year. The biggest destination for Foreign Direct Investment in the EU. Our capital city a global icon. The world, literally, speaks our language. No one doubts that Britain is a proud, successful thriving country. A nation that has turned round its fortunes though its own efforts. A far cry from the ‘sick man of Europe’ at the time we entered the European Economic Community four decades ago. Whether we could be successful outside the European Union is not the question.’ That, in November 2015, was none other Prime Minister David Cameron, attempting to argue not that Britain would be unsuccessful outside the EU but that it would be even more successful if it stayed in. He declined to offer a guess as to how much more successful – the Treasury has since cobbled up a calculation of how much worse off the average household would be in 2030 outside the Brussels Empire – and has since moved on to prophesying WW3. In doing so, he doesn’t seem to have noticed that the political, economic, and social fissures created by the drive to a United States of Europe has nourished the growth in France, Germany, Austria, Greece and elsewhere of parties at the very unpleasant end of the Right-wing spectrum. He’s now saying the economic consequences would be ‘terrible’; what does he know now that he didn’t in November last year?

Travel, tourism, and holiday companies, and their lobbying organizations, have been vocal in their opposition to the restoration of the UK as an independent, self-governing state. Richard Branson, the Association of British Travel Agents, easyJet, Ryanair have joined in the scaremongering, warning of the end of cheap travel and holidays, visa barriers, and a risk to jobs in the tourism industry. There has been talk of this island being isolated, cut off, and of ‘economic suicide’.

Some people of nervous disposition have been frightened by this tosh. Interviewed on BBC Radio 4 recently, an undergraduate with a nervous disposition said she wouldn’t be able to have inter-rail holidays in Europe. How on earth did she get into a university? My first trip to France was in the late 1960s which, history graduates might know, was when Britain was not a member of the then European Economic Community. I bought my ferry ticket, showed my passport … and I was in. Cheap package holidays in the Spanish Costas began some years before Britain made the mistake of joining the EEC. Visas weren’t needed then: why would they be required if the British vote for independence?

Are the governments of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and the rest likely to put up British Tourists Not Welcome signs? I suspect that’s as improbable as a German chancellor wanting to start a tariff war that would make it much more difficult for the Bayerische Motoren Werke Company to sell its excellent cars in Britain. Now, all that really would be economic suicide. What’s the German – or French – for cutting off your nose to spite your face?

There’s no doubting the economic importance of in-bound tourism to all of the four nations of the UK. The UK tourism industry – accounting for 9.6% of total employment – keeps more than three million in work. What can be doubted are the assertions that a Britain outside the EU would have an adverse on the industry; that, simply, fewer people would want to visit, that airlines would take the country off their destination lists.

There’s no reason to believe that the current passport arrangements with our neighbours in Western Europe would change. The island’s tourism assets – history, heritage, landscapes, Shakespeare, Stonehenge and the rest – would continue to be a major draw, along with, for many, our funny habit of driving on the wrong side of the road and the country’s reluctance to ditch a currency, the roots of which can be traced back to Anglo-Saxon England. The pound sterling is the world's oldest currency still in use. The importance of tourism from EU states can also be exaggerated. VisitBritain reports that the top three markets which have recently shown the highest absolute growth in value (on average during the last five years) are all long haul to the UK: the US, China, and Australia. On what basis can it be feared that a Britain outside the European Union would be of diminishing interest to people in these markets? There isn’t one.

Many of the so-called arguments in favour of Britain’s participation in the dystopian Brussels project are not greatly unlike those heard more than half a century ago, when the original six-nation European Economic Community was created and when in the 1960s, one of the most useful contributions was made by General Charles de Gaulle who as France’s president twice vetoed UK applications to join.

‘Compared with the motives that led the Six to organize their unit,’ he explained, ‘we understand why Britain – who is not continental, who remains, because of the Commonwealth and because she is an island, committed far beyond the seas, who is tied to the United States by all kinds of special agreements – did not merge into a Community with set dimensions and strict rules. In short, the nature, the structure, the very situation that are England’s differ profoundly from those of the continentals.

‘England is maritime, she is linked through her exchanges, her markets, her supply lines to the most diverse and often the most distant countries; she pursues essentially industrial and commercial activities, and only slight agricultural ones. She has in all her doings very marked and very original habits and traditions. The question is whether Great Britain can now place herself like the Continent and with it inside a tariff which is genuinely common, to renounce all Commonwealth preferences, to cease any pretence that her agriculture be privileged, and, more than that, to treat her engagements with other countries of the free trade area as null and void — that question is the whole question.’

The general – whatever else he got wrong – knew it would never work. This referendum – something reckoned unthinkable for Britain’s political class a decade ago – is proof that he was right.
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Brexit could hit in-bound tourism

WHILE much of the focus of what #Brexit could mean for the #travel industry has focused on out-bound travel, Allan Lambert, managing director of Exeter-based Blue Chip Holidays, has raised concerns about its potential impact on the in-bound travel market.

‘For many holidaymakers, Britain is attractive because it is part of the European Union, which enables them to make the most of a European tour,’ he said. ‘There is a danger that these tourists will be put off if Britain has different travel and trading arrangements with countries such as France, Germany, Holland, and Spain. We have no doubt that tourism will continue to grow if we keep the status quo and holidaymakers know what they are getting when they come to Britain.’

In 2015, inbound travellers accounted for 5% of Blue Chip Holidays customer base. Lambert continued: ‘Jobs in tourism would also be at risk if there were fewer foreign visitors to hot spots such as Devon and Cornwall, Yorkshire, and the Cotswolds and holiday companies that rely on European travellers may see a detrimental impact on their business should Britain vote to leave the EU.

‘UK destinations in close proximity to ferry ports would be particularly effected as they are currently convenient options for holiday makers from France and Spain. However, they would be less appealing after Brexit. Organizations like Visit Britain, that have invested heavily in building ‘Brand Britain’, would likely face an uphill battle in trying to repair the damage that leaving the EU would have on it.’

Based in Exeter, Blue Chip Holidays has a portfolio of properties, from country manors and Grade II listed houses to modern coastal apartments and lodges. It has recently launched a Yorkshire portfolio.

Go Holiday editor David Kernek comments: I might have missed it, but I don’t recall Scottish tourism businesses warning that holidaymakers would be less inclined to visit an independent Scotland (if any country in the European Union can be said to be independent) … probably for the very simple reason that it wouldn’t have made the slightest difference.

Mr Lambert says there is a danger that tourists will be ‘put off if Britain has different travel and trading arrangements with countries such as France, Germany, Holland, and Spain’. Where’s the evidence for this? How many French, German, Dutch, or Spanish people have been asked if they’d strike an independent Britain off their list of holiday choices? A Britain outside the confines of the EU might even add to its novelty value, along with our funny habit of driving on the wrong side of the road and our old-fashioned £££s. Do French, German, Dutch, or Spanish folks think twice about taking holidays in Switzerland and Norway – not to mention the US – because they’re not in the EU? I doubt it.

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Stick with the EU, say Britain’s travel agents

THE ‘Stay’ side in the UK’s referendum on European Union membership has been backed by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), which has published a report on what it says are the potential impacts on country’s travel industry of withdrawal from the EU.

With economic analysis from Deloitte, ‘What #Brexit might mean for UK #Travel‘ assesses how the existing relationship between the UK and the EU has affected British travellers and the travel industry, and looks at what the likely impact would be of a ‘Leave’ vote on consumer confidence, expectation and behaviour, as well as on the industry.

More than 29 million foreign holidays each year – 76% of the total – are made by UK holidaymakers to EU countries. Sixty-eight percent (4.6 million) of all business trips from Britain are to EU states.

There are currently, says ABTA, many EU regulations designed to benefit holidaymakers and business travellers. Although these regulations would not change immediately, a UK exit could have a “significant impact” in the future. Current regulations include: 

• Financial protection for package holidays 
• Compensation for flight delays 
• Access to free health cover through the European Health Insurance Card
• Caps on mobile phone charges 
• ‘Open skies’ across the EU, resulting in more routes, more airlines, and lower fares 

Of immediate concern is the impact that a period of prolonged uncertainty will have on the strength of sterling versus other currencies. A weaker pound has a direct impact on spending power overseas, making the cost of holidaying or visiting abroad more expensive, as well as adding costs for UK businesses to buy abroad.

Mark Tanzer, ABTA CEO, says: ‘Our assessment of the report’s findings is that a vote to leave will lead to uncertainties and may lead to increased costs for travel businesses and the travelling public. We recognize that people will approach this referendum by considering many factors – personal, professional, and economic – before casting their vote. ABTA has considered what a vote to leave the EU might mean purely from a travel perspective. Our view is that the potential risks and downsides are not matched by an equal upside for the traveller.’

Go Holiday editor David Kernek comments: That’s ABTA’s view, and it’s hardly surprising. The key words in ABTA’s plea for the status quo are could and might and potential. Neither they nor the Get Out folks can be sure of what will follow a UK vote to leave the club that, to quote London’s mayor, nobody in their right mind - except, perhaps the Turkish government – would want to join now. The one thing that is reasonably certain, however, is that our European neighbours – from Belgium and France across to Italy and Greece – will want to do nothing that would prevent British holidaymakers contributing to the growth of their tourist industries.

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Up in the air . . .

A VOTE by the UK in the upcoming referendum to leave the European Union (EU) could have a ‘material adverse effect’ on easyJet, the budget airline has warned. With Britain in the EU, UK airlines have access to free movement treaties. 

However, easyJet said that if Britain were to leave, ‘there is a precedent for other countries outside the EU, such as Norway, being able to take advantage of these free movement agreements’.

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