Organizers stated that changes in British immigration rules after Brexit have triggered an unprecedented collapse of school trip bookings from the European continent. Countries such as Ireland and the Netherlands are now more popular than the United Kingdom.
Although the pandemic has generally suppressed school trips in Europe, the number of short-term educational visits planned to other EU destinations where English is widely spoken in 2022 is significantly higher than inquiries for visits to the UK.
The operator stated that although the UK’s second-day Covid test requirements were a factor, the most important thing so far is the UK’s decision to not accept EU group passports or ID cards from October 1st, and instead require full passports-and non- Expensive personal visas for EU students.
The British government stated that the collapse was due to a pandemic, measure There is a need to “strengthen the security of our borders,” but critics say they are unnecessary for young people under 18 to make organized excursions with teachers.
They believe that the economic recession will deprive British host families, hotels and attractions of valuable income, and will cause long-term damage, because school trips can prove formative experience, promote cross-cultural exchanges and increase mutual understanding.
Eurovoyages, a large French school travel operator, said that as of last month, it had received 53 requests for short-term stays in Ireland next year, as well as other requests from the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic.
The general manager of the company Monique Tissot Martel (Monique Tissot Martel) said: “We just received two requests to go to the UK, one of which has changed his mind and decided to visit Ireland.” “The school has forgotten that the UK is A destination.”
Tissot Martel said that French schools that want an English environment are even considering going to Normandy, where British host families and native-speaking youth hostels provide immersive English accommodation.
“It’s really a shame, because traveling to the UK is very popular,” she said. “In 2019, we sent more than 11,000 students to the UK. Next year it will be between 0 and 100.”
Peter Adam said that his company, CTS Reisen, based in Lemgo, Germany, sent more than 1,200 school groups and 37,000 students to the UK in 2019, but did not confirm a reservation for 2022. About 80% of the company’s customers regularly book trips to the UK. He said that Britain is choosing other destinations.
“Most people think Britain is too difficult now,” Adam said. He added that Covid-19 restrictions are not a problem, “even if they are stricter in the UK than other European countries” and that parents “usually are prepared to pay the extra cost of obtaining a full passport instead of an EU ID card”.
He said that the biggest problem is the “EU’traveler’s list’ group passport, which is no longer suitable for travel to the UK.” “About 4% of students in Germany are not EU nationals. They can’t afford a visa. Teachers don’t like to leave them at home, so they choose other destinations,” such as Amsterdam or Copenhagen, he said.
In the UK, Susan Jones of LinguaStay, a British host family, said the decline was “absolutely dramatic.” The company usually hosts 10,000 mainland school children to approximately 300 host families in Chester each year.
Jones said that mainland schools usually send about 1 million students to the UK for organized trips each year, and France and Germany alone have 850,000 students. But for the February-June season, it is now clear that schools across the continent “abandon Britain completely to other countries,” she said.
“These children are learning English in a host family,” she said. “They deal with the local community, participate in workshops such as drama and cooking, spend integration days in local schools, and visit the city and tourist attractions with a guided tour. They travel during off-peak periods, which is very important for many in the UK outside the peak season. Small towns and businesses have helped.”
Verdié Voyages is a French company that sent 800 buses to the UK in 2019. The company said it received only 146 inquiries about travel to the UK next year, a drop of 80%. In contrast, queries to Ireland dropped by only 40%.
The company’s accommodation manager, Marie Bayol, said: “As a result of Covid, all destination requests have fallen.” She said that the decline in interest in the UK “is due to Brexit, the second impact that made us The main destinations are almost impossible to sell.”
Edward Hisbergues of PG Trips, a French operator that specializes in English-speaking countries, said that in addition to passport and visa issues, due to the UK’s next-day test requirements, business to the UK has declined more than other places.
His company usually booked 80% of school trips in the UK and 20% of school trips in Ireland. He said: “Next year, there will be 10% of requests in the UK, and all other requests will be concentrated in Ireland, even though it is more costly.”
“You only need an EU ID card to travel there. For non-EU students, the’traveler list’ is still accepted. As far as Covid is concerned, the EU Health Pass is sufficient. People are more willing to pay a little more. , But not subject to all the restrictions of the United Kingdom.”
Jones said the department is pushing to allow EU nationals participating in organized short-term school trips to enter the UK with an ID card, and allow non-EU nationals traveling with them to enter with only a passport. “Compared with the benefits, this seems to be just a small move,” she said. “Not only economic benefits, but also soft power.”
Morag Anderson of ETSUK, another British homestay company, said the government’s position is short-sighted. “Give me a 12-year-old child to travel to a British school,” Anderson said, “I give you a future higher education student, employee, researcher, entrepreneur, tourist-and family and friends… and Future parents, encourage future children to travel, work and study in the UK. Once this cycle is interrupted, there will be no turning back.”
