Travel warmly welcomed what is perceived to be a qualified positive for the industry this week, albeit among various ongoing Brexit uncertainties.
The EU Commission has said any exemption to visa rules in the event of a no-deal Brexit would be dependent on the UK honouring a reciprocal agreement for EU travellers.
If honoured, UK citizens would not require a visa when travelling to any of the 26 EU countries in the Schengen area for a period of up to 90 days within a 180-day period.
The UK currently grants nationals from 56 countries visa-free travel allowing them to stay for a maximum of six months.
The EU Commission said on Tuesday if no deal was agreed, arrangements would start from 30 March.
If a deal is agreed, new visa arrangements would start from the end of any transition period, currently scheduled to conclude at the start of 2021.
An Abta spokesperson said: “Maintaining visa-free travel has been a lobbying priority for Abta throughout the Brexit negotiation process, and we welcome the announcement from the European Commission that UK travellers will not need a visa to travel to EU countries after March 2019, even in a no-deal scenario.
“We are currently analysing the full commission technical notice, and will update the existing guidance we have made available to members accordingly.”
A statement issued by the EU commission said the proposal was “entirely conditional” on the UK granting reciprocal, non-discriminatory visa-free travel for all EU member states “in line with the principle of visa reciprocity”.
The arrangements though will not preclude Britons from the EU’s proposed ESTA-style pre-travel authorisation programme, Etias, which applies to countries outside the bloc even if they are exempt.
Etias will require Britons to submit certain pre-travel security details. Etias authorisation is expected to cost between £6 and £7 and should be able to be completed online in around 10 minutes.
