The UK is in a delicate situation today. With fuel, food shortages, the second highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world and a government that has voted to dump untreated sewage on its shores, the normal thing is that tourism has dropped considerably in recent years.
According to the British National Tourist Office, the forecasts predict that the number of tourists who have visited the United Kingdom when the year ends they will be even lower than those of 2020, when there were strong restrictions to enter. The drop from 2019, when there were 40.9 million visitors, to 2020, with only 11.1 million, was drastic (73%). But 2021 has been even worse, with a forecast of 7.4 million tourists, 82% less than two years ago.
Tourism has been one of the sectors that has suffered the most from the consequences of the pandemic, not only in the United Kingdom, but throughout the world. Nevertheless, does not seem to recover as in the rest of the nearby countries, which as restrictions have been relaxed, this sector has been recovering.
Countries like France, whose growth between 2020 and 2021 has been 34.9%; Greece or Spain, with levels close to those in 2019 (This year there were 86% and 64%, respectively, of the number of tourists there were in that year, according to data from FordwardKeys), show much more encouraging data than those of the United Kingdom. But what are the reasons?
Experts in the tourism sector attribute this drop in visitors to several factors, which together form a ‘perfect storm’: Covid-19 rates skyrocketing; the strict rules of travel; the effects of Brexit, which are already beginning to be felt; and little government investment in a tourism recovery plan. This is what Tom Jenkins, executive director of the European Tourism Association (ETOA): “The problems facing the United Kingdom are multiple, and they not only have to do with COVID.”
COVID-19 wreaks havoc
First, of course, there is the pandemic. Although England was the first country in Europe to start its vaccination program, in recent months they have stalled. Slightly less than 69% of British people have been vaccinated, according to Johns Hopkins University. Portugal or Spain, for example, are close to 90%. The relaxation of the rules (in the United Kingdom the use of a mask is not mandatory even indoors) causes distrust in tourists. “Security is the main concern of Chinese visitors; we are more sensitive and more careful than other countries“says Marcus Lee, CEO of China Travel Online.
In recent months, coronavirus cases have soared more than in most European countries. For this reason, countries like China, which currently prohibits leaving the country for travel, will not travel to the United Kingdom when they can leave. “I miss England a lot, but (her situation) sounds a little scary. We Italians were very affected at the beginning and for that reason we are a little more cautious, “explains to CNN the Italian Fabio Bergonzini, who visited the country regularly and has not returned since the beginning of the pandemic.”The general perception is that there they do not consider Covid-19 as a problem“he says.
Marcus Lee agrees with this view. “In China we use masks, we would not feel safe seeing that nobody uses them there. We would not even want to take the subway,” he says. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, countries that also make up the United Kingdom, have different rules than the English, but they are being affected by those of their neighbors in terms of tourism.
Brexit, an aggravating factor
Brexit Already worried the UK tourism industry before the pandemic. Europeans are the second most valuable market for British tourism, after the United States, and leaving the European Union has added many difficulties. For example, from October 1 You can no longer enter the UK with your national identity card, you need a passport, a document that three-quarters of Europeans do not have.
“For a family of four, the logistical and expense implications of traveling to the UK become really prohibitive. It also affects school trips: if some children do not have European passports, they would have used ID cards before, but now they would need a visa. It means schools will have to exclude children on ethnic grounds, or they won’t bother to come to the UK and we will see a genuine decrease in visitors, “explains Tom Jenkins.
What’s more, purchases are no longer tax-free for Europeans, being the only country in Europe that does not allow it neither to countries of the EU nor of outside. This will have a very negative effect on high-income tourists from China and the Middle East. “It’s like putting up a big sign telling people to go to Paris or Milan and do their shopping there.“says Kurt Janson, director of the UK Tourism Alliance. “Basically the products will be less competitively priced, so Chinese (tourists) will probably go elsewhere,” agrees Marcus Lee.
Supply shortage scares
Perhaps because of Covid-19, or perhaps because of Brexit, the UK’s service economy has been hit harder this year than other European countries. “Information is circulating about fuel shortages, food shortages and problems with hotel staff. None of them make (UK) a destination where someone would like to spend their holidays, “says Jenkins.
In October, there was a fuel shortage across the country, partly due to the lack of truck drivers, as most left the country after Brexit. This also affected food shortages. George Eustice, Minister of the British Government, warned the population that at Christmas they will dine “with turkey as long as there is enough capacity for heavy vehicles”.
Confusing constraints and uncertainty
Since November 1, the ‘traffic light’ system was canceled and all countries were removed from the ‘red list’ of hotel quarantine. Thus, entry restrictions are softer now than in most, although they are stricter for foreigners than for British citizens.
For example, if a passenger on a plane tests positive, foreign passengers who shared a plane with him must quarantine even if they are vaccinatedwhile the British do not. Foreign children, in addition, must be quarantined, although their parents should not do so or even if they test negative upon arrival.
“The main factor for anyone (choosing a vacation destination) is: ‘Is it going to be dangerous? What are the chances that my vacation will be ruined? Are there barriers to entry, such as the ten-day quarantine?‘”says Janson.” The UK needs a decent marketing campaign, “he says.
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