Frustrated by the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union, John Francis no longer wanted his British passport after Brexit officially took place on February 1, 2020.

Instead, he applied for German citizenship and was thus able to continue traveling as an EU citizen. Now, he lives in the small German town of Obertshausen, where he runs his own company, Britain.de, which arranges vacation homes for tourists in England, Scotland and Wales.

"At times, there was a lot of uncertainty among my customers," he said. "They had many questions, such as: 'What will be required to enter the country in future? Is there a visa requirement? Do you need a passport?"

General confusion about new changes has no doubt led to a drop in the number of people choosing to go on vacation in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Yet it's difficult to quantify the consequences of Brexit on the travel industry, since the UK's exit from the bloc coincided with a dip in tourism due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It is not possible to say exactly what impact Brexit has had in terms of numbers," a spokesperson for the official British tourism agency VisitBritain told DW. "The developments of recent years are too complex for that." Instead, the spokesperson pointed to a significant increase in visitor numbers in recent months.

Entry more complicated for EU citizens

Statistics also show that while countries such as Italy, Spain and France were already seeing record numbers of tourist arrivals post-pandemic in 2023, the UK was still trailing behind the 40.9 million international arrivals it saw in 2019. The country received 38 million visitors in 2023.

While there were more travelers to the UK from the United States, Canada and Australia in 2023 than in 2019, fewer tourists visited from the EU during that period.

Companies that organize school trips from abroad to the UK have suffered greatly in the post-Brexit era.

One of the changes brought about by Brexit is that EU citizens must now have a passport to enter the UK — just having an identity card no longer suffices.

Tourism Alliance, the umbrella trade association for the UK's tourism industry, said the new passport rule has caused school trip visitor numbers to plummet, losing the UK millions of pounds in revenue.

Shortage of workers in tourism industry

Christoph Knobloch, managing director of the German company CTS Reisen, which specializes in group and study trips, has also observed a drop in bookings due to the passport requirement.

The additional cost required to get a passport acts as a deterrent, especially for younger students. And unlike before, students without EU citizenship may also need a visa which can incur costs of up to €300 ($323), said Knobloch.

It's not even guaranteed that the applicant will even be granted entry in the end. "It requires an immense amount of organization and many teachers don't want to take any risks with this," he added.

But the consequences of Brexit are most evident in labor shortages.

Since EU citizens now need a visa to work in the UK, tens of thousands of workers have left the country. According to a Scottish government report on the effects of Brexit, staff shortages have been reported by 45% of tourism businesses in the Highland and Islands areas of Scotland due to the loss of freedom of movement.

New registration system operational from April 2

Upcoming changes may further deter tourists.

From April 2, 2025 it will be mandatory for EU citizens to have an electronic travel authorization (ETA) — a digital permission to travel to the UK.

Visitors to the UK who do not currently need a visa for short stays, or who do not already have UK immigration status, will be required to apply for the ETA before they travel. Travelers from the US without a UK visa are already required to have an ETA, while Indian citizens, for example, will not need the digital permission, as they are required to have a UK visa regardless.

To get the ETA, travelers must register via an app or online, which could be a problem for those who are less tech-savvy, say some critics of the new plan.

The initial cost of the ETA will be £10 ($12.75/€12), although a planned increase to £16 ($20.70) has already been announced. The International Air Transport Association has criticized the move harshly in an official statement. "It makes no sense to discourage visitors with high costs even before they set foot in the country," said the IATA.

In turn, UK residents will also face travel challenges when visiting countries in the European Union, as will tourists from many other countries, including India, China and the US.

The EU is also introducing a new travel authorization, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), for travelers hailing from countries that do not require a visa to enter the EU for tourism purposes. This is due to come into force in 2026 and will cost €7 ($7.60), although some travelers will be exempt from paying the fee.

Travelers will also need to use an online registration system, the Entry/Exit System, EES, which is expected to be operational in October 2025 (more information can be found at travel-europe.europa.eu).

Brexit certainly has not made travel between the EU and the UK any easier.

John Francis, however, was fortunate enough to find an easy solution. He renewed his British passport and now has two nationalities. He can decide which passport to use when traveling between the UK and EU — whichever one comes with the fewest regulations.

This article was originally written in German.