Travel to London will soon need a permit – bureaucracy and cost are driving tourists away

Olivia Lilja from Tampere and Vilma Varis from Espoo stand by the Westminster bridge. In the background are tourists, a two -story London bus and a Big Ben. — Olivia Lilja (left) and Vilma Varis like London as a destination, but the future requirement for a travel permit seems expensive and bureaucratic.

From April, tourists travelling to the UK will have to obtain a travel authorisation with a fee. The abolition of tax-free shopping has already slowed down tourism, according to businesses.

Lilja and Crow will be in London before April, when the new electronic travel authorisation ETA will enter into force. This will make travelling to the popular metropolis more difficult.

From the second of April, an occasional traveller will not even be able to board a flight to London unless they have a visa or have applied for a travel authorisation in advance on the UK authorities’ website.

The permit costs twenty euros. The application takes about three days. You also need a permit to change flights in the UK.

Vilma Variskin from Espoo believes that the EEA travel permit will make it difficult to head to London.

– Of course it adds to the spending. In my opinion, London is a pretty expensive city anyway, he thinks.

Lily and Varis came to London, attracted by museums. They are a good program for a price -conscious tourist in London, as there are no entrance fees for many major museums.

Lily and Varis were last in London years ago. The rise in eating and shopping surprised me. Many other European cities are easier and cheaper.

-Italy has a good value for money. Wonderful people, good food and beautiful, it’s easy to go there, says Olivia Lilja.

Vilma Varis again considers Greece a resort.

– It affects last -minute tourism decisions. Too much paperwork, Cañejas says.

Mar Perez thinks that the price of about twenty euros can make many stay home. London is also expensive anyway.

Spanish youth say they saved a lot of food on their journey in restaurant expenses.

British tourism is declining

Britain is one of the world’s most popular tourism countries. According to British Statistics Finland, 38 million tourists visited the country in 2023.

That’s a lot, but two million less than before the corona pandemia. Elsewhere in Europe, tourism has almost returned.

Miley fears that the travel permit will further reduce the tourist flow.

– Eta makes it difficult for Britain to come. It will become even more expensive, Miley tells Yle.

Sam Miley stands off the Harrods department store. — Samuel Miley, chief economist at the Center for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), a consultancy, is concerned about the decline in British tourism.

Tourists also spend less money in Britain. In 2023, the average tourist spent just under a thousand euros on a week’s journey, with more than a thousand euros last year.

Miley considers the biggest reason to give up Britain’s abandonment of the Tax Free system, where the tourist returns to his purchase with the VAT he has paid from the country. Britain stopped tax -free travelers when it resigned from the European Union.

– Britain has been an important shopping destination. Tourists have been attracted to luxury clothing and goods in particular, Miley says.

London prices are driving out even the rich

Hundreds of influencers of luxury and fashion business in Britain have invoked the government to return the tax free trade.

The petition has been signed by representatives of British Airways and Heathrow Airport, John Lewis, Paul Smith, Fortnum

Signatories are annoyed that rich tourists visit Britain to enjoy culture and watch sights and continue shopping in Paris or Rome, where the tax free system is still in place.

One hundred million Turku visited France in 2023, 57 million in Italy. CBR estimates that Britain will lose up to EUR 13 billion a year from its gross domestic product due to the lack of tax exemption.

\”I love shopping in London, but when I noticed that I wouldn’t get the product anymore, I’m going to go shopping in Paris,\” says Faezeh Fanaei.

Faezeh Fanai Dubai is looking at the camera in London. — Faezeh Fanaei buys luxury design from Europe.

He estimates that shopping in Paris is at least 10 % cheaper, even cheaper in Italy. This time the purpose of the trip to London is to introduce the big city to the daughter.

– I still love London and come back here, but not for shopping. I do them in Europe.

If Britain had continued the tax free trade after Brexit, millions of EU citizens would have enjoyed cheaper prices. The government considered it too big.

Senior economist Samuel Miley considers such a policy to be short -sighted.

– The government does not take into account that in the big picture the tourists would generate more income. They would pay for services and strengthen the industry by buying more and staying here longer, he thinks.