NEWS Workers head home as Brexit looms By Samantha Mayling


This summer saw record numbers of inbound tourists, many lured by the weakened pound – but bosses warn the industry is struggling with a workforce exodus triggered by Brexit. The fall in sterling since 2016’s


referendum helped attract a record four million overseas visits to the UK in July – the first month to break the four-million barrier, and up 6% year-on-year. However, alarm bells are ringing


as European workers are already heading home, with some firms reporting up to 45% of staff have left, largely due to the vote to quit the European Union. Meanwhile, a UKinbound survey


found some members have seen more than 20% of their EU national employees leave the UK because of long-term uncertainty over their status – and almost 50% of respondents are having difficulties recruiting EU staff because of Brexit. Accountancy firm PwC warned British hotels will see slower


leisure tourists to visit London in 2017 and our analysis shows many other cities have also benefited.” However, she added: “While the


growth in 2018 as the exchange rate has less of an impact on inbound travel. “Hotels report that the cost


of labour has been pushed up as it becomes harder to fill vacant positions,” said the PwC report As good as it gets? UK hotels forecast 2018. “The Brexit vote has prompted


some workers from other EU countries to leave already or consider going, partly because of uncertainty around the UK’s economic outlook and because any money those workers earn in pounds is now worth less in euros for them to send home.” Liz Hall, PwC head of hospitality


and leisure research, said: “The weak pound has encouraged record numbers of international


pound is bringing tourists in, it is also creating a harsher environment for hoteliers as they contend with rising costs and squeezed margins, with the weak pound pushing up the cost of imported goods. “There are also labour issues.


The Brexit vote has prompted some workers from EU countries to leave their jobs and some hotels are struggling to fill these vacancies and facing higher costs when they do so.” Research for the British


Hospitality Association predicts a shortfall of up to one million workers within 10 years if EU migration is curtailed. Ufi Ibrahim, BHA chief executive,


said: “There is not a readily available workforce within the UK that can replace our valued EU workers, given record low unemployment and an educational system that does not encourage training for recruits to our industry.”


UKinbound and the BHA


welcomed prime minister Theresa May’s speech, asking EU countries to agree to a two-year Brexit transition period after 2019, during which the UK would have access to the single market. But they called for more details and reassurance about the status of EU workers. Commenting on the record


inbound figures, Patricia Yates, VisitBritain director, said exchange rates were only part of the story: “We know the weak pound helps, but it is not the motivator for first- time visitors.” She said an improvement in


airline capacity, particularly on routes to China and North America, was encouraging visitors. Regional tourist boards said


the weaker pound had buoyed staycations and inbound holidays but pointed to private sector investment and marketing by councils and destination management organisations as key factors in the


successful summer figures. � More on the staffing crisis, see p7


Heritage ‘intrinsically linked’ to England’s prosperity


Heritage tourism generated £16.4 billion in spending by domestic and international visitors during 2015, according to a new report by Historic England. The report Heritage and the


Economy 2017 highlights how heritage is a key part of the UK ‘brand’, and that heritage tourism is forecast to continue growing. Heritage tourists benefit the


ON THE WALL: The National Portrait Gallery in London will host a new exhibition dedicated to Michael Jackson’s enduring influence on contemporary art. Displaying work by established and emerging artists, ‘Michael Jackson: On the Wall’ will open on what would have been the pop icon’s 60th birthday: August 29, 2018. Curator and gallery director Nicholas Cullinan said: “All the artists included – despite coming from different generations and parts of the world – are fascinated by what Jackson represented and invented. It is rare that there is something new to say about someone so famous, but here that is the case.”


4 TravelGBI | October 2017


local economy too: for every £1 spent as part of a heritage visit, 32p is spent on site and the remaining 68p in local restaurants, cafes, hotels and shops. Adala Leeson, Historic England’s


head of social and economic research, said: “England’s historic environment provides jobs, attracts tourists and contributes to the construction sector. “It is intrinsically linked to


Market Place and the Guildhall, Derby


the whole country’s economic prosperity.” The report features two case


studies to show the benefits that investment can bring. One shows how Derby’s historic


centre was revived, thanks to grants to transform the high street, and the other tells how Bristol’s Watershed – a film, culture and digital media centre – is an important part of the city’s creative economy.


historicengland.org.uk travelgbi.com


VisitEngland/Diana Jarvis


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