The effects that Brexit is having on the UK’s tourism scene

Peter Birch
Jul 21, 2017 · 5 min read

There has been a year that has gone by since UK residents voted for the nation to leave the European Union. To discover how Brexit has affected tourism both in regards to how Brits plan to travel and the number of foreign citizens who are deciding to visit the UK, insurance for arcades provider as well as cover for many other types of tourism attractions, Lycetts, investigates:

How are Brits viewing overseas holidays?

Brits who would like to enjoy a holiday away from the UK still have an appealing market to look into when making their dreams a reality. In fact, ABTA’s Travel Trends Report 2017 found that early bookings for overseas holidays to be taken throughout summer 2017 were tracking 11 per cent above last year’s figures.

Those who are planning an overseas holiday are also finding new experiences particularly appealing. 26 per cent of all holidaymakers have said that they are very likely to visit a country that they’ve never been to before, while 29 per cent said they will seek out a holiday to a new resort or city even if they have been to the country in the past.

How are Brits viewing the staycation?

Within ABTA’s Travel Trends Report 2017, it has also been recorded that the number of domestic holidays across the UK increased to 71 per cent throughout 2016, which is up considerably from the 64 per cent logged during 2015.

Barclays has found that the staycation is becoming more popular among Brits too. This is because in its Destination UK report, it was revealed that more than a third of adults across Britain are choosing to holiday closer to home this year, due to personal preference as opposed to limitations due to cost.

So, what are the reasons behind the average British adult spending more time in the UK for their holidays? The following should shed some light on this:

· 34 per cent cited choice as a main reason, stating ‘I would like to spend more time in the UK’.

· 32 per cent cited cost as a main reason, stating ‘holidays in the UK are now more affordable’.

· 23 per cent cited experience as a main reason, stating ‘I enjoyed a recent UK holuday and so am keen to replicate this’.

· 15 per cent cited the number of activities available as a main reason, stating ‘there are more holiday activities in the UK than there were in the past’.

· 14 per cent cited time as a main reason, stating ‘I have less time than I have had previously to holiday abroad’.

Upon surveying more than 2,000 UK holidaymakers, Barclays also established that 40 per cent of those looking into a UK-based holiday in 2017 are considering a city break and 37 per cent are more inclined to visit and stay in a rural spot.

In terms of the most popular regions for domestic holidaymakers, these are the top five areas throughout the UK:

· 30 per cent of respondents planning to visit the South West.

· 22 per cent planning to visit Scotland.

· 20 per cent planning to visit Wales.

· 20 per cent planning to visit Yorkshire and Humberside.

· 18 per cent planning to visit London.

As shown by Barclays’ Destination UK report, the UK’s economy is certainly benefitting from the staycation becoming more popular with Brits. The average visitor taking a trip within the UK spends an average of £309 on accommodation throughout their staycation, as well as £152 on eating out, £121 on shopping and £72 on holiday parks — if that is part of their domestic getaway.

How are international travellers viewing the UK?

There’s a lot of evidence that is suggesting that the UK is proving just as popular a getaway destination for international travellers as it is for Brits.

When surveying over 7,000 international holidaymakers, for example, Barclays’ Destination UK report found that 97 per cent wish to see the UK in person within the coming months or at least at some point in the future. 60 per cent also stated that they were now more interested in visiting the UK than they were 12 months previously.

The most popular regions across the UK for international visitors is quite different to those identified by staycationers. In fact, here’s what their top five consists of:

· 67 per cent of respondents planning to visit London.

· 44 per cent planning to visit Scotland.

· 29 per cent planning to visit Wales.

· 24 per cent planning to visit Northern Ireland.

· 17 per cent planning to visit Yorkshire and Humberside.

What is clear is that international visitors finding the UK appealing is bound to provide a boost to the nation’s economy. This is because a survey conducted as part of the Barclays Destination UK report found that the average spend on accommodation by this group to be £667, along with £453 on shopping and £339 on food and drink.

On top of this, VisitBritain has released official statistics which reveal that in January and February 2017 alone, overseas visitors spent a record £2.7 billion. That’s an increase of 11 per cent compared to 2016’s figures over the same two months.

VisitBritain’s director Patricia Yates reflected: “These figures show that 2017 is off to a cracking start for inbound tourism, one of our most valuable export industries. Britain is offering great value for overseas visitors and we can see the success of our promotions in international markets. We must continue to build on our message of welcome and value in our high spending markets such as China, the US and the valuable European market.”

What is ABTA’s plan to make Brexit a success for travel & tourism?

It goes without saying that the research detailed above is suggesting that the UK’s tourism culture is certainly healthy at the moment then. As the UK’s exit from the EU edges ever nearer though, will this remain to be seen? ABTA hopes so by asking the government to focus on five key points in the UK’s Brexit negotiations:

1. Maintaining our ability to travel freely within Europe and beyond — this includes ensuring that UK airlines can continue to fly and also protecting rail, road and sea routes alike.

2. Keeping visa-free travel between the UK and the EU — so to maintain both fast and efficient processes through the nation’s airports and ports.

3. Protecting valuable consumer rights — this takes into account mobile roaming fees in Europe still being abolished and ensuring UK travellers have continued access to either free or reduced cost medical treatment, wherever they are in Europe through the European Health Insurance Cards scheme.

4. Giving UK businesses operational stability — such as retaining access to employment markets and continuing to look into tax and border issues.

5. Seizing opportunities for growth — for example, reducing Air Passenger Duty, cutting visa costs and working towards world-class connectivity.

Mark Tanzer, the chief executive of ABTA, underlined: “We want to work with the Government to help make Brexit as successful as possible.”

Sources:

https://www.barclayscorporate.com/content/dam/corppublic/corporate/Documents/Industry-expertise/destination-uk.pdf

https://abta.com/assets/uploads/general/ABTA_Travel_Trends_Report_2017.pdf

https://www.visitbritain.org/sites/default/files/vb-corporate/Documents-Library/documents/how_the_world_views_britain_2016_08.12.16.pdf

https://www.visitbritain.org/forecast

https://www.abta.co.uk/assets/abta%20Brexit%20Report%202017.pdf

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