Dubai: While a drop in value of the British pound following the Brexit vote is expected to hurt UK outbound tourism, British Airways is aiming to capitalise on the Kingdom’s weaker currency to attract more visitors to the UK.
“There’s never been a better time for people to go to the UK. From markets here, we know that a lot of our customers love to go to the UK to enjoy the fantastic retail opportunities there. You’ll find that your local currency goes a lot further in the UK than perhaps it used to,” said Robert Williams, head of sales for Asia Pacific and the Middle East at British Airways.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), the hospitality and aviation event currently taking place in Dubai.
The airline recently increased its capacities to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region and added new frequencies to the Middle East over the past few months. It also brought new aircraft to the region.
Globally, British Airways is aiming to attract more customers from North and South America, having recently launched flights to Santiago in Chile, and New Orleans and Oakland in the US. In July, the carrier will start a route to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the US.
In November 2016, William Walsh, chief executive officer of International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent company of British Air, said the UK’s secession from the European Union would not have a significant impact on business in the long term. However, there was a short-term impact.
