Ireland’s Tourism Success Is Under Threat by Brexit: A Skift Deep Dive
Photo Credit: Malin Head, Donegal, Ireland. Brexit poses a threat to Ireland’s tourism industry. Tourism Ireland / Failte Ireland / Chris Hill
Skift Take
Whatever happens over the next few weeks, months, and years, Brexit has brought back some unpleasant memories and risks damaging the very united tourism that the north and the south in Ireland have worked so hard to build.
The only indication that you’re crossing over a border is a slight change in the color of the road surface and a different road sign. Nothing else. The green fields, the cars, the sky, and the houses are the same wherever you look.
Racecourse Road, just outside Derry, is one of the 208 crossings between Ireland and Northern Ireland. These days the checkpoints that became such a visible symbol of the split between north and south are long gone, but a unique set of circumstances has brought the border back into question.
Since the 2016 referendum, Brexit has consumed UK politics. Last Tuesday, MPs rejected for the second time the agreement Prime Minister Theresa May struck with European leaders, and there is still uncertainty on how, when, or even if the United Kingdom will leave. One thing, however, is for sure: Leaving the European Union will have significant consequences on both sides of the border.
Tourism is an industry that relies on the smooth movement of people, someth
