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The Balearic tourist industry will be heading to the World Travel Market (WTM) at the Excel centre in London this weekend with some important questions still unanswered. The WTM will this year be shrouded in uncertainty over Brexit. There are claims that British citizens may need visas to visit the popular tourist spots on the European continent. The dip in the value of the pound is also causing concern.

The WTM is one of the prinicipal tourism fairs in the world but the joys and economic dreams of last year have been replaced by fears over Brexit. The Balearics is sending a strong delegation led by President Francina Armengol alongside tourism minister Biel Barcelo. I suspect that they are concerned over the Brexit situation especially as retailers, shops and restaurants have already started to complain about lower takings thanks to the drop in value of sterling.

The travel industry has been widely hit by Brexit. A long-haul holiday to the United States has become much more expensive for British tourists as a result of the sterling situation. The uncertainty created by Brexit is causing plenty of problems for the travel industry because no one really knows what the outcome is going to be. These are hard times for the travel industry. I suspect that the British travel industry will give the islands their usual vote of confidence and confirm that the islands will enjoy a good season as regards the British market, but there is still plenty of uncertainty.