spkennyuk
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Good point, unfortunately what I didn't mention is that one of the reasons for the change is the continual anti ICE messaging, almost making you feel like you're driving something out of date and obsolete, particularly in London where if they can charge you they will. That said even EV's will be subject to Congestion Charge from 2025!
The truth is, and I've said this before on this site, in a lot of parts of the UK and I believe in Europe, national and local authorities are becoming increasingly anti car ownership, and once they've finished with the ICE , the EV will be next on their list. These scum already cite particles from tyres and brake dust as pollutants! I maybe off tangent, but I still firmly believe this is far more of a Socialist or perhaps Communist agenda that runs through the environmental groups.
And whilst I'm being very Unpolitacaly correct, I had this misfortune of seeing Rachel Shabi on Sky News press review yesterday evening. Of course free speech and diversity is important, but to use 'my right to free speech', the republican anti Royal garbage she was spouting last night with simply ludicrous! I'm no flag waving stand in The Mall to see the Queen person, but obviously she and a lot of her immediate family do a great job, bringing in huge revenue, and giving us a Head of State that is envied by many round the world, and yes in time I would include Prince Charles in that!
Let's face it, how many tourists are going to visit the UK without the Royal Family, they are hardly going to come here for the great weather!!!!
I do wonder why so many tourists visit Scotland then. Not great on the weather front being north of the UK equator. Very little chance of seeing any Royals in Scotland unless Prince Andrew is in a Pizza hut in the area.
We have had a group of Americans in the village this week they definately didnt come to the UK expecting to see the Queen.
I very much doubt that any tourist puts the Royal family as their number 1 reason to visit the UK.
Im not anti Royal. I do think that their value to tourism is overplayed. Over 93 million tourists visited the UK in 2019 and around 3.2 million people paid to visit official Royal residence but that also includes UK residents visits and also will include twice or more visitors that go to multiple sites like Buckingham Palace and Windsor castle. So less than 3.5% of UK tourist visit Royal residences that compares to 1.5 million that visit the UK for european football matches for example as a comparison.
France by comparison had 89 million tourist in 2019 with no Royal family
The truth is we will never know the true value unless we no longer have a Royal family because only at that point could the drop in tourist levels be measured.
I have no doubt at all that tourism has been boosted over the jubilee in the same way its boosted by Royal events like weddings for example.