During his visit to Brussels, Professor Nigel Morgan of the School of Management discussed his views and was later interviewed by MEP Jill Evans on the issue and its specific impact on Wales.

Professor Morgan said his main concern was that the lack of certainty around Brexit meant that there was instability for the tourism industry.  Typically large tour operators block book holidays some 18 months in advance but the uncertainty was causing them difficulty in forward planning.

In looking at the impact on Wales, Professor Morgan stressed the importance of tourism to the economy, calling it a major export industry, a key engine of entrepreneurship which was vital to the future economic growth of Wales.

He acknowledged that while a great deal of expenditure on tourism in Wales did come from England, there was significant spending from European visitors including those from Ireland, Scandinavia and Germany which are viewed by the Welsh tourist industry as target markets. However he said there was a general uncertainty within the industry about the extent to which marketing efforts in those target markets would be compromised by Brexit.

He said: “We really don’t know what the landscape will be like in 12 to18 months’ time and I think that the big issue is instability.”