The US no longer stands alone in its tiff with Britain over the controversial exit fee, with many destinations waving the fee
A poll has found that 13% of Americans are planning a break to Britain this year, even as Brexit takes a battering.
The US no longer stands alone in its tiff with Britain over the controversial exit fee, which the Home Office required British visitors to pay from 1 January.
The survey, by EasyJet, asked how many Britons are planning trips to the US. Of more than 1,000 respondents in England, Wales and Scotland, 12% of respondents said they were planning trips to the US in 2017, according to EasyJet.
But 11% said they were already going or had recently visited, and another 8% planned to return. That brings the total of respondents who intend a trip to the US this year to 13%.
The poll, taken by YouGov in December, showed the UK was still the preferred destination for British holidaymakers, with 73% intending to go somewhere in the European Union.
In Australia, 11% said they were already planning a US trip, and another 8% said they would make a trip this year. Those numbers were 9% and 5% respectively in 2015.
Three-quarters of respondents in the US wanted new restrictions to be introduced for EU travellers wanting to travel to the US.
However, the survey found that 62% in the US considered Brexit as a distraction from thinking about their own country’s issues, although 66% thought it would have little impact on trade.
The survey also found that overseas destinations were losing out to Britain, which ranked first as a place to visit, followed by Spain, France and Italy. Australia came in fifth for both travellers and rate of holidaymakers.
EasyJet said: “EasyJet has some great routes to the US, with 36 routes between the two countries from seven UK cities, making it a great destination for American visitors to London, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow and Edinburgh.”