“You will find destinations like Hastings absolutely decimated by a lack of school visits”: so MPs were told by Patricia Yates, chief executive of VisitBritain.
The inbound tourism leader was giving evidence in 2022 to the DCMS Select Committee about the devastating impact of the post-Brexit decision to ban foreign visitors who have only identity cards, not passports.
Since EU citizens can visit dozens of other countries with their ID cards, many choose not to go to the extra expense and trouble of obtaining a passport.
“Getting school visits in, which I cannot see as a huge risk, would be a major boost for the industry which is really suffering at the moment,” Ms Yates continued.
In 2023, in one of the first acts by the Conservative government in reversing the harm caused to the UK tourism industry by Brexit, French school groups were told they could be admitted with only identity cards.
But the new Labour government appears to be doubling down on the anti-ID card move by insisting the new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) can only be linked to passports.
From 2 April 2025, arrivals from Europe to the UK – apart from British and Irish citizens – must apply in advance for an ETA, price £10.
Announcing the requirement, the minister for Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra, said: “The worldwide expansion of the ETA demonstrates our commitment to enhance security through new technology and embedding a modern immigration system.”
The government is clear that by 2 April 2025 European visitors to the UK “will need an electronic travel authorisation” and that ETAs are “digitally linked to a traveller’s passport”.
Because the system is based solely on inbound travellers having passports, not identity cards, the special status of French school group visits to the UK appears in jeopardy.
The Home Office says the implications of the policy for school groups of the new policy are “under review”.
The inbound travel industry has sustained a loss of business since former home secretary Priti Patel banned ID cards in October 2021. The decision excludes around 300 million EU citizens who have identity cards rather than passports.
Joss Croft, chief executive of UKinbound said: “The introduction of ETAs has been in the pipeline for a number…
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