Holidays at home and abroad hit by Brexit
TOURISM leaders in the Westcountry say there are few signs the region is heading for a Brexit “staycation” bonanza.
A slump in bookings for holidays in Europe at Easter – which falls three weeks after the scheduled date for leaving the EU – is said to be due to customers’ worries about delays at airports and the validity of documentation, leading to a suggestion that the South West might be the winner as more people decide to take a break in the UK.
Analysis of 100,000 holidays by a price comparison website shows operators have slashed the price of foreign trips by 24% to try to boost bookings.
Brittany Ferries, which operates between Plymouth and northern France and Spain, reports that bookings close to the March 29 Brexit date and in the peak summer period are down 10% on last year.
However, Malcolm Bell of Visit Cornwall said uncertainty over Brexit was also currently affecting bookings for holidays in the South West. “The public are almost on ‘standby’ mode, waiting to see what happens with Brexit,” he said.
Alistair Handyside, chair of the South West Tourism Alliance, said for a “huge number” of people a foreign holiday was a priority that they would not give up and few would be deterred from a trip abroad due to red tape.
“The evidence from Spain and Portugal is that they are working hard to minimise any disruption,” he added.
And Brittany Ferries remains confident that bookings to the Continent will pick up.
TOURISM leaders in the South West have urged caution on any suggestion that the region is in for a “staycation” bonanza because of Brexit.
Concerns that the UK might crash out of the EU without a deal have led tour operators to slash prices on breaks in Europe at Easter, which falls just three weeks after the scheduled date for leaving the union.
One price comparison website describes as “unprecedented” the 24% discounts that are designed to lure holidaymakers who have failed to book because of worries about queues at airports and uncertainty over documentation. TravelSupermarket based the comments on analysis of the prices of 100,000 overseas Easter holidays.
However, there are appears to be little evidence that Britons are planning to forego a foreign holiday this summer and take their main break in this country, heralding a boom for the UK’s busiest holiday region. And one leading figure in the South West said many who holiday overseas had experience of travel outside the European Union and were not put off by additional red tape.
“Summer is not close enough to Brexit to have such a big effect,” said Alistair Handyside, chair of the South West Tourism Alliance. “The evidence from Spain and Portugal is that they are working hard to minimise any disruption. People aren’t put off going to the United States because they have to go online and get a visa.”
For a “huge number” of people a foreign holiday was a priority that they would not give up on. “We [the UK tourism industry] rely on their second, third and fourth holiday, which is often a short break.”
Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall, said that Brexit uncertainty was also having an effect on bookings in the South West with customers yet to make up their minds about where to take a break. “The public are almost on ‘standby’ mode, waiting to see what happens with Brexit,” he said.
“Easter falls late this year, and most people do not feel the need to book far ahead for the summer. My prediction is that once a deal goes through, whatever that is, bookings will pick up.
“The feeling in the Isles of Scilly, where people have to book ahead because of the transport, is that they are quite happy with how bookings are. My feeling is that we will be the same as the Isles of Scilly and that the season will be OK this year,” said Mr Bell.
Brittany Ferries, which operates between Plymouth and northern France and Spain, said that there was a “sense of concern” with summer bookings about 10% down on 2018, and a similar dip immediately before and after the March 29 Brexit date, but the feeling was that people were holding back and would book later.
“Some key customers, particularly families with young children, who travel with us every year, are holding off on their summer vacation,” said spokesman Nigel Wonnacott. “We feel there is a latent demand that will come through in later bookings.”