How might the UK tourism industry benefit from the UK triggering article 50?

Given that the UK's triggering of Article 50 has signalled a prolonged period of uncertainty for the country, it is difficult to state where there will definitely be benefits for its tourist industry. Britain's relationship with Europe is set to change fundamentally, so exactly how this will affect tourism over the next couple of years, let along 5-10 years, is impossible to gauge.

In the immediate aftermath of Brexit, sterling took a hit. This prompted an influx of visitors from the USA and Japan, keen to take advantage of the weakened pound. In fact, four weeks on from the vote, visitors to the UK spent some £2.5 billion, representing a 4% rise on the equivalent figures from 2015.

But the longer-term impact on tourism will be much more prone to the fallout from the UK leaving the European single market. Aside from economic question marks, a report from the trade association UKinbound, which focuses exclusively on the in-bound tourist sector, reported a sharp rise in holiday cancellations from German, Polish and other East European travellers. The reason? Much as the politicians touting Brexit deny it, the UK's current direction of travel has prompted a 'Little England' mentality, with xenophobic sentiments being routinely expressed on social media, while recorded 'hate crimes' have soared. So there is no clear answer as to whether or not the 63% of in-bound tourists who used to come from EU countries will choose to go elsewhere. Other consideration, such as UK airlines losing access to the single aviation market, will do nothing to ease the doubt hanging over the travel industry. EasyJet blamed its financial downturn in 2016 directly on Brexit.

However, the traditional tourist draws - the beautiful countryside, West End theatres, Buckingham Palace and 1,001 other destination - will still attract visitors from all over the globe, regardless of the political situation.