A great exchange range, cheaper accommodation and more opportunities to fly into other key European hubs such as Paris or Frankfurt.
Brexit isn’t looking too bad for Aussie travellers – please don’t ambush us with rotten tomatoes! Hear us out.
As much negativity as there is around the subject, it appears as though it is going through whether people like it or not (sort of like that lock-out law in Sydney). So let’s look at some of the positives.
According to Wego.com UK’s separation from its neighbours has already had a huge impact on the Pound, making it cheaper for Aussies holidaymakers.
Since the announcement on Friday, the Pound has dropped 9.8 percent, with the value sitting around 1.3415. This not only gives the Australian dollar more value (explains why the Sterling was practically sold out in Sydney over the weekend) but makes in-destination costs – such as accommodation, dining, entertainment and shopping – cheaper.
“[It will] allow significantly better value for the foreign traveller after exchanging their local currency.”
Ross Veitch, Wego.com CEO
While Heathrow has been a main point of entry into Europe for many years, Veitch said Brexit could result in airlines expanding out to other European hubs, which will “offer inbound travellers easier onward movement around EU member countries”. This could open up destinations such as Paris, Amsterdam or Frankfurt.
“High spending Arab travellers from the Gulf nations, where London has retained its number one most popular European destination for some time, may consider selecting other destinations to take advantage of shopping and holiday opportunities,” he added.
“Rome is still a popular destination within Europe, and many football events drive visits to Spain and France.”
On the other side of things (okay, it’s not all red roses) we’ve speculated that British passport holders (even those living in Australia) may eventually lose their visa-free travel around Europe – that’s why so many of them turned to Google after the vote for information on how to claim their Irish heritage. This will also apply in reverse, with other European passport holders restricted when it comes to working and travelling through Britain.
The change could also result in the loss of cross-country sim usage, where travellers could use one European sim anywhere in the European Union without tapping into roaming charges.
We’ve also questioned how Britain’s departure from the Union could impact the popular Aussie ‘gap year’, during which young Australians base themselves out of the UK before travelling around the continent.
Meanwhile, American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) has issued a statement, advising Australian business executive to “to remember nothing is going to change overnight from a business travel perspective”.
Vice President and General Manager, Jo Sully, said while the EU and UK are facing a period of uncertainty, she expects conditions for travellers to remain the same for the time being.
The company is predicting London will remain the top travel destination for Australian business travellers outside of Asia Pacific. A VisitBritain spokesperson felt the same about holidays into Britain, saying the organisation is “anticipating a strong summer holiday season”.
On the day of the referendum, the destination’s tourism body launched its newest campaign, which utilises the magic of Roald Dahl’s ‘The BFG’ to promote family holidays.