One in seven people in England (15%) say they will be less likely to travel to continental Europe once new EU border checks are introduced, a Government survey indicates.
The Department for Transport poll of 1,584 people aged 16 and over suggested the most common concern over the Entry/Exit System (EES) is about more queuing or document checking when departing from the UK.
The survey indicated 20% of people would cancel or postpone a ferry trip to the region if there are delays of more than an hour due to the new system.
EES is expected to come into force on October 6 in an effort to boost border security.
UK coach companies travelling to Europe generate significant amounts of revenue
Phil Smith, Confederation of Passenger Transport
Travellers from non-EU countries such as the UK will need to have their fingerprints scanned and a photograph taken to register them on a database the first time they enter a member state, with the data stored for three years.
There are concerns this will cause queues at the Port of Dover, Folkestone Eurotunnel terminal and St Pancras station, which are sites where French border checks are carried out before people embark on cross-Channel journeys.
Phil Smith, UK coach manager at trade body the Confederation of Passenger Transport, said: “It is vital – for coach passengers and the sustainability of coach travel to Europe – that UK ports make sure that systems are in place so that the EU’s new Entry and Exit system does not cause long delays when it comes into force in October.
“UK coach companies travelling to Europe generate significant amounts of revenue for the UK economy and for the countries to which people travel by coach – more than £14 billion every year from around 23 million individual coach trips.
“That is why CPT has worked hard with port authorities at UK ports like Dover or Folkstone to ensure there will be swift and efficient passport checks so that a full coach of 50 passengers will complete this process in under an hour.
“It is also important that other traffic does not experience delays too because coaches share road space, so efforts to prevent congestion in and around our Channel ports will be essential too.”
Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, a network of independent travel agents, said: “Safety and security are of course paramount, but it is crucial that the Government and the travel industry work together to make sure that Brits have a thorough understanding of the new system, when they come into effect and how they will impact travel.
“We do advise travellers to be prepared in case of delays on their first trip to any of the 29 European countries involved in the new system as they will need to have their fingerprints and facial images taken.
“We understand that people can be hesitant to travel if they expect delays, however, with this information valid for the next three years of travel, we then hope to see the use of automated border control checks and self-service systems increase the speed of processing times and improve the overall experience for all travellers so we do not think it should discourage people from travelling.
“We expect the EES to be a small addition to the process of travel and have minimal impact on the incredibly strong demand we are seeing for travel this year from consumers.
“We recommend booking through your local travel agent who will be able to ensure you are fully compliant with all travel requirements.”