Brexit uncertainty is beginning to have a negative effect on tourism in Majorca. | Archive

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The continuing uncertainty over how Brexit is exactly going to affect the United Kingdom, especially when it comes to the economy, the free (or not) movement of British citizens and the value of the pound, is already having a negative effect on business in some sectors in Majorca, in particular those directly involved in or related to tourism. One leading British Majorca-based businessman, who has worked in the tourism industry for many years, catering especially for the UK market, said yesterday that he fears this season is not going to be a particularly good one with regard to the British market.

“I would have liked the UK to have remained. But the decision has been taken and I know that people are getting increasingly nervous about the uncertainty. We are hearing speech after speech from key members of the British government, in particular the PM, but they either appear to mean little or nothing to the general public. Talking to repeat clients and would-be customers, I clearly get the impression that few people were fully aware of what the UK was getting itself into by voting to leave the European Union. We’ve seen the value of the pound drop, although not as sharply as predicted so far, but it is early days and the clock is ticking. I hope that I am proved wrong. But I’ve been in business all my life and I just can’t see a booming post-Brexit UK economy, not in the short to mid-term anyway, and that is not good for me or anyone else here in Majorca or elsewhere in the EU catering for British holidaymakers.

“What I am finding is that people are suddenly deciding to put their travels on hold, cut them shorter in a bid to save money or opt for a cheaper destination. Many fear that if they splash out this year, they will be unable to recuperate that money next year, once the Brexit process has begun in earnest and have a holiday at all. People are worried that the pound in their pocket this time next year is not going to be worth what it is today, so they are sitting tight or dithering, and that’s not good for business here on the island. Like I said, I hope to be proved wrong and all the Britons come back splashing the cash next year, but I just can’t see it. I wish we could get some clear and coherent decisions and information.”