New Rules About Post Brexit Tourism to Encourage Tourists to Prefer Paris Over London

The end of 2020 might not be quite pleasant for British expats who were planning to spend time at their holiday homes in the EU. As per the new travel rules, Britons may not be permitted to stay in another European country without a proper visa from January 1,2021. Consequently, the future of post Brexit tourism seems to be quite bleak.

According to the new rules, UK citizens can stay in another EU country only for a maximum 90 days in every six-month period. If any traveller exceeds the limit, they will be subject to a fine or an entry ban to the EU’s Schengen travel zone.

The news has received extended criticism from 500,000 Britons who planned to enjoy longer Christmas vacations in another European country. It is especially disappointing for those who live divided lives between two countries. For them, the only way to visit another EU country for a stay more than 90 days is to apply for full residency. On the contrary, citizens from the EU, EEA and Switzerland who wish to live in the UK for up to 6 months will not need a visa post-Brexit.

Clearly, the news will affect people who were planning to head out for work or study travel after December 31. This would require them to apply for a visa or work permit.

Experts claim that the proposed VAT will encourage travellers to visit Paris and Milan instead of Britain. Since most visitors belong to middle class sections of their respective countries, they would prefer visiting Paris, where shopping from high-end brands would be quite cheaper than shopping from Britain.

As per the Deputy Chairman of Value Retail Plc — James Lambert, post Brexit “people won’t stop coming to London to see Big Ben, but they will probably buy their Chanel handbag in Paris now”. Consequently, hotels, resorts, pubs and restaurants will also be affected by a major drop in visitor arrivals in the post Brexit tourism world.

Despite these issues, some travel experts believe that post Brexit tourism will not be as bad as it seems. For instance, TravelSupermarket expert Emma Coulthurst said, “Things will continue but people just need to be aware”. As per her, travellers will have to do advance planning for visiting another EU country. Some of the main things that will affect travelling post December 31 include passport validity, health and medical insurance and also rules related to travelling with a pet.

One thing that could come across as a major disappointment to travellers will be the expiration of the European Health Insurance Card. From January 1, 2021, Britons will not be able to access equal medical care as the citizens of the European country they are visiting.

Since medical insurance is a thing of major concern amid the pandemic, this can surely spark some pessimism in terms of post Brexit tourism world.