Is Brexit affecting the UK’s tourism scene for better or worse?

It is now over a year since UK citizens voted for the nation to leave the EU. To find out how the Brexit vote has affected the UK’s tourism scene since that historic vote, Lycetts, an insurance for arcades provider as well as cover for many other types of tourism attractions, investigates…

Is the UK a popular holiday destination for Brits?

The number of domestic holidays taken across the UK in 2016 increased to 71 per cent, according to the ABTA Travel Trends Report 2017. This is up considerably from the 64 per cent logged during 2015.

Barclays has also charted the rise of the staycation among Brits. 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. Image result for insurance for arcades

For the average British adult who is deciding to spend more of their holiday time in the UK, their reasons for doing so are as follows:

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 over 2,000 UK holidaymakers, Barclays also found that 40 per cent who were planning a UK-based holiday had their minds set on a city break. 37 per cent are more inclined to visit and stay in a rural spot.

The most popular regions for domestic holidaymakers? The top five are:

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.

Within its Destination UK report, Barclays has worked out how the rise of the staycation is delivering a boost to the UK’s economy. 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.

Is the UK a popular holiday destination for international travellers?

The UK is proving a popular destination for a holiday among international travellers as well, if further research is anything to go on. 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 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.

So where are the most popular regions for international visitors? The following are the top five areas where those heading to the UK are setting their sights on:

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.

The UK’s economy is receiving another boost as the UK becomes a more appealing destination for international visitors. 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.

VisitBritain has also released official statistics which detail that in January and February 2017 alone, international 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.

Patricia Yates, VisitBritain’s director, pointed out: “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.”

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What is ABTA’s vision for making Brexit a success for travel & tourism?

There’s a healthy period being witnessed across the UK’s tourism scene 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:

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.
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.
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.
Giving UK businesses operational stability — such as retaining access to employment markets and continuing to look into tax and border issues.
Seizing opportunities for growth — for example, reducing Air Passenger Duty, cutting visa costs and working towards world-class connectivity.

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