 Even if the sector recovers to 60% of the 2019 figure next year as is predicted, it will still be bringing £600million less into the economy - while significantly denting the UK's soft power. The reason why young people are no longer coming isn't because they don't want to, but due to new rules around travel documents. The UK has removed the 'List of Travellers' scheme whereby EU students in organised school groups, accompanied by teachers, could travel to the UK using their national ID cards rather than passports. There is now a requirement that all such students must have a full passport, which many will not apply for until they're older and want to travel further afield. Michael Quinn, who runs English schools in the UK and Ireland, has seen the impact of Brexit and the ID card ban first hand. Where before the country left the bloc his schools in London, Leeds and Edinburgh would take as many students f){kind=link}
The number of foreign student trips organised to the UK by specialist European tour operators this year is down 83% compared to pre-pandemic 2019, largely due to a post-Brexit passport rule change
Thousands of school trips are being scuppered because of a post- Brexit passport rule.
The UK is missing out on a huge amount of tourism cash following a big slump in student travel to the country after it left the EU.
The number of foreign student trips organised to the UK by specialist European tour operators this year is down 83% compared to pre-pandemic 2019, new research has found.
The 2019 figure of 1.2million European students travelling to the UK to learn English and about the country’s history has been cut in five, at a huge cost to tourist destinations and hotels.