What happens on Friday if we’re no longer in the EU?
The short answer is nothing.
At least not immediately.
Speaking at the ABTA Travel Matters conference on Wednesday, chief executive Mark Tanzer said agents might get more calls from customers worried about their holidays as three quarters of travel from the UK is to Europe, but aside from that, it would be business as usual.
ABTA’s head of public affairs Stephen D’Alfonso explained that a vote for Brexit would trigger Article 50, which would notify Brussels of Britain’s intention to leave the Union but from that point the country will have at least two years to extricate itself.
"After that two-year period, we will understand more about what leaving the EU means," said D’Alfonso. "In the meantime, nothing wold change, other than the economic situation."
He said the UK ‘holds the cards’ in deciding when to begin negotiating its exit from the EU, but he admitted that if the electorate voted in favour, the government wouldn’t be able to delay too long.
Over that two-year period, the government will have to decide what EU rules and regulations it will keep and which will be jettisoned along with EU membership. Among these will be the new European Package Travel Directive, which might – or might not – be adopted by the UK.
A recent Deloitte report commissioned by ABTA found that it was ‘likely’ that EU-originating regulations that benefit and protect British holidaymakers would need to be replaced with parallel UK-origination regulations to maintain consumer confidence.
D’Alfonso said that in preparing the report, ABTA had found out which of the EU regulations the industry valued and which should be retained.
No-one seems to know whether visa-free travel will remain for British citizens in Europe, we don’t know whether EHIC health insurance cards will remain valid and what will happen to mobile phone roaming charges, but if there are any major changes, they won’t happen overnight.
It’s likely the first thing customers will notice is the cost of their holidays increasing. Most commentators accept that sterling will slide, so people will get fewer euros for their pounds.
In the longer term, the Deloitte report warned the travel and tourism sector might find it harder to fill roles if there were restrictions on their ability to recruit foreign nationals, especially given the current high levels of UK employment and existing skills shortages.
However, even this is uncertain as no-one is clear, as yet, whether free movement of labour will continue.
Perhaps all of this will be academic anyway as we might wake up on Friday to fihd that we’re still EU citizens!
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
In Italy, the Meloni government congratulates itself for its tourism achievements