Britain's recent exit from the European Union after more than four decades of membership, has been a topic of much discussion and debate. Despite the clouding uncertainties, the Brexit vote has not been without consequence for the travel industry, whether the short- or long-term.
'One thing is for sure: the drop in the value of the pound in the short-term will come as welcome news to those looking to visit the UK any time soon and to those that travel to the UK frequently, since the UK – London in particular – has suddenly become a little more affordable, to an extent,' says James Massoud from UK-based Wellington Travel and Tours, which is a luxury travel service provider with a focus on GCC countries. 'Whatever ripple effect Brexit will cause in the European Union, the Mena region and the GCC countries are now in a prime position to capitalise on the UK’s separation and further strengthen its relationship with Britain.' In the long-term, as the UK now looks ahead to a future of independence it will try to strengthen its trade relations with countries, particularly in the Middle East and Africa (Mena) region, Massoud suggests. 'About $18 billion of UK exports went to Mena in 2014. In turn, the UK will be reliant on tourism to help strengthen the economy, especially from the Middle East. Overseas visits to London have almost doubled in the last decade with almost 17 million people visiting the capital every year. Tourist spending has risen, too, by nearly 14 per cent, with visitors from the Middle East – in particular, the UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia – spending the most.' TTN has reported in the past that the average GCC visitor spends £4,000 ($5,255) per visit to London. 'Britain is still a part of the European Union for the next two years, even if negotiations begin right away as expected. In his resignation speech, Prime Minister David Cameron stated that there would be no initial change to the way people travel. 'Going forward it might mean tighter border checks and potentially higher airfares. However, at such an early stage there is no way of knowing for sure. If these do happen as a result, they won’t come into effect for another couple of years once the UK has officially left the European Union,' says he.