Annabel Grossman, global travel editor at The Independent – ‘Stress-free travel was an inevitable casualty of Brexit’
When Britain chose to leave the European Union, we signed ourselves up for a more complicated, confusing and time-consuming travel experience that has become steadily more frustrating over the past decade. As we stepped away from EU citizenship we bid farewell to free movement rights, becoming “third country nationals”, subject to new Schengen area rules on entry and stays.
The length of stays within the Schengen area became limited to 90 days in any 180-day period, and we watched as requirements for passport validity shifted – a change that our own government under Boris Johnson struggled to understand, initially providing inaccurate information that conflicted with the Schengen area rules.
The realities of being apart from the European Union are perhaps being most sorely felt by holidaymakers right now as we stare down the barrel of a summer of travel misery. The rollout of the entry-exit system (EES), which requires travellers from non-EU countries to to be registered every time they cross an EU external border after supplying fingerprints and facial biometrics, has been chaotic at best. The result has been long queues at border control and, in the worst cases, missed flights.
Although British citizens are still not required to have a visa for short-stay visits to the EU, from next year (if all goes to plan – and this is a pretty big “if”), they will be required to obtain a travel authorisation. This new Etias authorisation scheme – like EES – has already been repeatedly delayed.
While the impact on travel might not be as grave as that of tumbling exports and sinking GDP, it is maddening in its absurdity. Life for travellers has become unnecessarily more difficult.
Yet, Brexit gave us exactly what we asked for – to distance ourselves from the countries that we are most fond of visiting. Stress-free travel was an inevitable casualty.
Professor Len Shackleton, research fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs – ‘Brexit has encouraged Brits to see more of the world’
Much of the EU’s new bureaucracy for Brits seems pointless to me. Some see it as spiteful recompense for voting to leave, others as simply the EU’s mindless bureaucratic urge in action. In some places – Mallorca for example – it’s not just the bureaucrats, it’s also the locals, demonstrating against tourism and making you feel unwelcome.
There is of course still some appeal in turning lobster-pink for a fortnight under the Spanish sun, or going out on the lash in Budapest over a long weekend. However, the feeling of being resented, or the rising cost of holidays in core European destinations, or the sheer familiarity of Spain, France, Portugal and Italy has led tourists to look further afield. Social media and the falling real cost of long-haul travel have encouraged this.
Disney-struck youngsters now regard a trip to Florida as an essential rite of passage – probably a million and a half Brits visited the Sunshine State last year. Families have also been flocking to Dubai in ever-growing numbers (though the recent Iran war may slow this). Much of this is the displacement of traditional holiday fun. But there is also the growth of travel to countries with a real sense of place and something more interesting to see than MacDonalds and water parks. Visits to Japan, Mexico and Thailand have grown rapidly in the last few years.
Nearer home, a number of non-EU countries have seen big increases in tourists from the UK. With the tragic Yugoslavian breakup now a receding memory, countries such as Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina offer history and novelty combined with the more familiar appeal of beaches bordering the Adriatic. And they’re relatively cheap. Albania, another country with a murky communist past, offers similar pleasures. And North Africa faces the Med from the other side: Morocco and Tunisia have experienced rapid growth in visitors from Blighty.
Whatever you think of Brexit, our holiday choices are far greater than they were in the past. Enjoy.
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