A vote to leave the European Union this month could cost the UK’s tourism industry as much as £4.1 billion ($5.9 billion) a year in international tourist spending alone. According to new research published by global travel deals publisher Travelzoo, a third of travelers from Germany, Italy and Spain – and a quarter from France – say they would be less inclined to travel to the UK in the event of a Leave vote. Four in 10 respondents from EU countries also worry that Brexit could make UK holidays more expensive.
Sentiment among the four largest European Union nations (France, Germany, Italy and Spain) is that the UK should stay in the EU, with just under 70% in the Remain camp. In spite of this, respondents from some nations – notably France – believe that leaving the EU could make the UK a safer destination for holidays, Travel Daily News reported.
Although almost 75% of the UK’s international visitors come from within the EU, even respondents from further afield (10% of those from Canada and 12% from the US) stated they would be less likely to come to a post-Brexit UK.
Holidays for British tourists in Europe, meanwhile, could become more expensive if the sentiment expressed by some of our neighbors in France and Spain becomes more widespread: 40% of respondents from these countries feel it would be fair to impose higher fees, such as a hiked city tax, on British visitors, if the UK votes Leave on June 23.
UK travelers have their own concerns regarding the impact Brexit could have on the cost of their holiday. Over a quarter (28%) are concerned that withdrawal from the EU could lead to more expensive holidays for them, while 56% are worried that Brexit would reduce the ease and flexibility with which British nationals can currently travel inside the EU.
Around a third of Italian (33%), Spanish (33%) and German (30%) travelers, and a quarter of those from France (24%), would be less inclined to travel to the UK in the event of a Leave vote, while 12% of Americans and 10% of Canadians say if the UK leaves the EU they would be less likely to travel here.
American visitors currently spend more than £3 billion a year in the UK. Interestingly for those in favor of an independent UK, 61% said they would be willing to pay more for their holidays.
