ABTA opened 2026 by setting out a regulatory agenda shaped by border reform, consumer rules and longer-term UK-EU travel issues. For travel businesses and passengers alike, the message was that operational change and policy change will keep moving together this year.
Days before the EES launch, tests at Eurotunnel kiosks showed roughly two minutes of screen time per person. Getlink invested EUR 80 million in the infrastructure while Eurostar fitted 49 kiosks at St Pancras.
ABTA's reading of the Brexit White Paper was cautiously positive for the travel sector, but far from settled. The document reflected several industry priorities while still leaving important commercial and political questions open.
In May 2024, the EU's Entry/Exit System was expected by October that year. Eurostar had invested EUR 10 million in new kiosks at St Pancras, while Getlink was spending EUR 70 million at Eurotunnel. This is how the Channel crossing was being reshaped.
Days before the EES launch, tests at Eurotunnel kiosks showed roughly two minutes of screen time per person. Getlink invested EUR 80 million in the infrastructure while Eurostar fitted 49 kiosks at St Pancras.
ABTA's opening assessment for 2026 argues that travel businesses are entering the year with a crowded policy and operational agenda. Its five-priority list ranges from border systems and pricing rules to artificial intelligence, youth mobility and accessibility.
The ETIAS application fee is set to increase from EUR 7 to EUR 20 before the system's launch in 2026.
The EU response to terrorism has grown from emergency measures into a broader framework covering borders, financing, online content, databases and judicial cooperation.
European tourism is recovering, but the next phase will be defined by smarter borders, stronger connectivity and more sustainable destination management. Here is how visas, rail, staffing and overtourism are shaping the sector.
As the UK prepares to roll out its Electronic Travel Authorisation for European travellers, leading figures in the travel industry are pushing back — warning that introducing multiple border systems at once could cause widespread confusion.