Brexit’s Effect on the UK Tourism Industry

Kurt Janson Richard Otten

On December 31st, 2020, as the clock struck 12 (technically 11 in Britain), The UK’s transition period with the EU ended. With everything that has been going on over the past year, it was an event that was easy to miss. Now that Brexit has finally happened, it’s time to start looking at how it will affect the UK’s tourism industry, specifically as it relates to the glamping industry.

The UK and the EU share strong travel and tourism flows. The main destination for UK tourists is the EU and the main source of overseas tourists visiting the UK comes from Europe. Brexit has the potential to disrupt this, but it all depends on how the movement of tourists will be affected. While there will be some changes to travel between the UK and the EU, such as air travel, freedom of movement and insurance and medical emergencies, they are not substantial enough to pose a serious concern.

Kurt Janson is Director at the Tourism Alliance, which seeks to establish and maintain a favourable operating environment for all businesses involved in the delivery of tourism, particularly in England and whose Members comprise leading Trade Associations and Destination Management organisations within the sector.

Speaking to International Glamping Business, Janson explains that glamping businesses in the UK should not expect to see many changes as a result of the UK leaving the EU, “Customers from the EU will still be able to bring pets with them using their pet passport, they will still have health coverage under their existing EHIC card and they should not experience any significant delays at immigration control when entering the UK. The only difference will be that EU nationals will need to carry an insurance green card if they are coming to the UK with their own car.

There will be some changes to GDPR requirements on the transfer of data if you are specifically selling in the European market (ie having a dedicated website in EU or have an agent in the EU that takes bookings for you) but this does not apply if EU nationals book via your UK website.”

Due to the fact that the UK-EU tourism relationship is so established, possible disruptions to the rules under which travel can occur between them has the

potential to cause a serious impact. However, the deal that has been agreed seems to bypass the majority of these issues.

“The biggest challenge the UK tourism businesses will have with the EU market is to reassure EU nationals that there are no significant barriers that have arisen from Brexit that will impact their holiday in the UK.

However, it is worth pointing out that there are significant opportunities, as Covid has significantly increased people’s interest in taking rural and seaside holidays rather than taking city breaks.

Also, the main impacts from Brexit relate to UK residents travelling to Europe rather than EU residents travelling to the UK. For example, while EU nationals can use a pet passport to bring their pet into the UK, UK nationals need an Animal Health Certificate to take their pet to the EU and getting one will take 3-4 months. This presents a significant opportunity for UK Glamping industry.”

Speaking about the Tourism Alliance’s opinion on the Brexit deal that was reached at the end of last year, Janson said, “Brexit presents significant challenges for a number of important components of the UK tourism industry, especially in terms of outbound tours and business tourism. However, for most people, the changes will be relatively minor and not significantly impacts tourism flows.”

Richard Otten founded Glamping.nl in 2013 on behalf of Vacanceselect and owns Blogs4Travel. On top of this, he also owns Team4Animation, which manages animation teams and programs in the summer at campsites in Europe, and Team4Events, which focuses on promotional work in the Netherlands. In addition to being an experienced entrepreneur, he is also a teacher at the TIO in Rotterdam, where he teaches content marketing and social media. In his role as an online marketer, he has been able to advise and support many major players in the tourism industry in strategic issues.

Speaking to International Glamping Business about how Brexit has the potential to affect the Dutch tourism industry, Otten explained,

“Ever since the Dutchman William of Orange (William III) became King of England and Scotland in the 17th century, there has been a great connection between the UK and its North Sea neighbor, the Netherlands. Now that the UK chose to separate itself from the EU, it is unavoidable that England will feel farther and farther away. Regrettably, this change required more instructions and paperwork at customs. Say goodbye to easy holidays.

The Dutch realize that in consequence there will be fewer tourists with that British accent walking around. This said, glamping owners are not afraid of a decrease in turnover since the Dutch travel industry is not particularly focused on the UK. Other countries like Germany, France, and Belgium are much more important.

Thus, Dutch tourists are not that bothered by Brexit. There is still no visa required, you can still pay with your own bank account, and insurances will cover any damage in case you travel in your own car. The only difference will be that the Dutch who do decide to travel to England will have to bring their passport form now on instead of their ID card (which is valid in Europe).”

To find out more about the Tourism Alliance, you can find their website at tourismalliance.com. To find out more about Glamping.nl head over to their website and for Blogs4travel go to blogs4travel.nl.