Tom Powell
BRITAIN’S passport crisis could leave a huge dent in Spain’s tourism coffers this summer as its number one market gives foreign travel a swerve.
While the passport office battles to shift the massive processing backlog, more and more Brits are playing it safe and planning to holiday at home.
Added to the rise in ‘staycations’ in the UK, Spain could miss out big-time on British visitors who are usually the backbone of its tourist economy.
According to the Office of National Statistics’ International Passenger Survey, British foreign travel fell by 17% between 2008 and 2013, and is likely to see a further 3% drop this year.
Dan Yates, founder of UK camping website Pitchup.com, has reported a huge surge in demand for his 5,000 properties.
Luxury camping – the phenomenon now widely known as ‘glamping’ – has also seen a meteoric rise as Brits decide to stay closer to home and to hell with the weather forecast.
Then someone should tell them that they can travel to Spain on a UK passport that is up to one year past its expiration date. Five years if it’s a German passport.
Tim. Are you sure that is correct and where do you get that information? The UK Gov web site just advises your passport must be valid so returning to UK could be a problem. Airlines also check passports as they get fined if they carry someone with an invalid passport so that could also present problems.
This link implies it’s five years from the UK too. I thought that I’d read somewhere else that it was only one.
“http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/EN/Treaties/Html/025.htm”
Seems to be 5 years to get into Spain but I see no mention of UK anywhere. Holidaymakers have to get home so, as UK doesn’t seem to be included in the list they will need an unexpired passport to get back into UK.
I think that the treaty I posted is for the Schengen area and to which the UK is not a signatory.
Not definitive, but the link I saw previously was this one:
“http://www.vueling.com/en/vueling-services/travel-documentation”
Check out the “Expired Documentation” section.
OK, it does seem to indicate UK passport up to one year past expiry. Never knew that.
However, I would prefer to see it on an official Government site rather than an airline one!