Since news broke on Friday of the UK’s historic decision to leave the European Union, otherwise known as Brexit, the media has been filled with images of a country falling apart at the seams.
As a Brit watching from Down Under, I have to say it’s a UK I don’t recognise, and one that I don’t think I like.
But while British ex-pats like me will always have a reason to return home, the rest of the world needs to be persuaded, especially in the face of intense competition from other destinations.
So, how does the world feel about travelling to the UK now?
For those with little sense of the fraught build-up to the referendum, the tragic death of Labour politician Jo Cox on June 16 would have come as a brutal shock, her murder directly related to her efforts to keep the UK in the EU.
Just over a week later, the votes were counted, forecasts were turned on their heads and much of the UK, indeed the world, was left staring at their TV sets with jaws agape.
Then came the calls for a second referendum, the lies, the resentment, the panic, the political sidestepping and the backstabbing. A nation downtrodden, desperate and angry.
The world’s eyes are fixed on the UK at the moment, and what they’re seeing ain’t pretty. For travellers with a passport burning a hole in their pocket, the sun-drenched shores of some tropical destination, or the buzz of some other cosmopolitan city are likely to hold more allure right now.
It’s true that Brexit’s immediate impact on the Great British Pound means that, for travellers, the destination could suddenly be much cheaper.
But will that be enough to keep the punters coming?
Tourism numbers show that the UK has been performing strongly in recent years with a number of major wins resulting in consistent growth.
Think the London Olympics, the Queen’s Jubilee, the Scottish Homecoming and James Bond. Years of garden parties, Pimms and lemonade, strawberries and Union Jack bunting galore.
Arrival numbers to Britain rose by 5% last year compared to 2014. Visitors spent 1% more, up to £22.1 billion.
Just last week, VisitBritain launched its £350,000 ‘Where Giant Dreams come to Life’ campaign, ahead of the movie premiere of The BFG – a Disney film adaptation of Dahl’s ‘The Big Friendly Giant’ to underline the destination’s appeal as a family-friendly tourism destination.
The forecast for 2016 is for 36.7 million visits, an increase of 3.8% on 2015; and £22.9bn in visitor spending, an increase of 4.2% on 2015.
But will this dark cloud across the country now see tourists run for cover?
An impact will likely be seen on numbers from European countries which generated 63% of inbound visitors to the UK and 73% of business visitors in 2014, according to an Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) and Deloitte report.
“Tourism and travel trade between the UK and EU has been facilitated by the free movement of goods and services, investment and people across the EU,” it said.
“A Brexit could jeopardise this free movement, and affect the flow of trade and travel.”
But favourable exchange rates may strike an all-important chord, particularly with travellers from further afield.
VisitBritain, of course, has a stiff upper lip.
“We offer a warm welcome to our many visitors,” a spokesperson said.
“We are anticipating a strong summer holiday season as we continue our global #OMGB ‘Home of Amazing Moments’ marketing campaign to show people why they should book a holiday and come and visit Britain.”
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Besides, history has proved such concerns to be unfounded before now. Could there have been a worse advertisement for the UK than the mayhem of the London Riots?
Over those dismal August days back in 2011, an alienated youth with destruction and looting on their minds became Britain’s ambassadors to the world.
But, although the industry predicted the lawless chaos would have a disastrous impact on tourism, the tourism stats for the year tell a different story. The year still saw a rise of 3%.
After all, bad news stories around the world rarely seem to deter the travel-hungry who are a resilient bunch, particularly the Aussies.
But even they will be hoping the storm starts to lift soon and that the sun starts to shine on the UK.
Because when it does, there really is no better place.
