Exchange rates that affect so much of international tourism have been changing as quickly as the price of oil and gasoline. The dollar has softened in the past few weeks, but it is far lower than it was during the summer, and the UK Pound has sunk to near parity with the Euro.
The UK Sterling and Euro exchange rates are at levels never before seen. The Euro is selling for just under 90 pence. Exchange rates like this make continental tourism from Britain much more expensive and some folk are raising the issue about Britain re-examining their refusal to adopt the Euro as their currency.
Meanwhile, the US dollar vs. the Euro rates even with the dramatic drop from this summer’s rates are no where near historic lows. In fact tourism officials are hoping that the dollar strengthens a bit more to encourage more leisure travel.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
