Tourism group Visit Kent recently staged an invite-only reception at the Palace of Westminster to celebrate and promote the county’s vital visitor economy.

Our man Rhys Griffiths rubbed shoulders with the great and the good at the riverside event as the Kentish sparkling wine flowed – but there was one word almost no one dared mention...

To say the tourism sector in Kent has faced a challenging time of late would be something of an understatement.

The twin upheavals of our exit from the European Union and the global pandemic have combined to produce mighty headwinds for an industry which, according to speakers at this Westminster event, employs one in 10 people in the county.

Concerns over the potential for chaos at the border in Dover and Folkestone have been brought to the forefront once again recently – with the brief and unwelcome return of Operation Brock on the M20.

And at Vist Kent’s parliamentary reception, there were certainly a few light-hearted digs at our continental cousins as the event progressed.

First to speak was Damian Collins, MP for Folkestone & Hythe, who pointed to next year’s Paris Olympics as a golden opportunity for Kent – with its cross-Channel connections – to benefit from such a huge global event.

“I remember, when London had the games in 2012, going to a reception in the Pas-de-Calais region,” he recalled, “and seeing Calais marketing itself as London’s garden, so I think it’s time we got our own back.”

Although the jibes were all in good humour, with the quality of Kentish sparkling wine being favourably compared to that of the more illustrious Champagne region, there was still the unspoken issue of Brexit, which everyone seemed happy to dance around with typical British reticence and reserve.

Given the omertà among the Westminster crowd, which sees no major party willing to speak up full-throatedly about the evident negative impacts of Brexit, perhaps it should be no surprise that the B-word went almost entirely unsaid at what was, after all, meant to be a positive celebration of the county’s tourism industry. But that does not mean the issues are not there.

Following a recent summit between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron – hailed as ‘Le Bromance’ by some headline-writers – one positive hailed in the aftermath was the commitment to make make school trips and exchanges easier in the post-Brexit landscape.

Good news, especially for tourist destinations in Kent which have seen visitor numbers from the continent fail to rebound post-pandemic and/or post-Brexit, depending on which you perfer to blame.

But let’s not pretend the logistical issues hindering such trips, common place not long ago, are not a result of our decision to leave the EU. It has widely been reported that post-Brexit changes to Britain's immigration rules have triggered an unprecedented collapse in bookings for school trips from the continent. Apparently Ireland is now a more popular choice for the French.

Both Le Shuttle and the Port of Dover were headline sponsors of the event. Deborah Merrens, one of Le Shuttle’s top execs, was invited to reflect on what is being done to “rebuild that cross-Channel entente cordiale” following Brexit and the subsequent pandemic. But she chose, perhaps understandably, to focus on her firm’s recent rebrand. And the gathered audience was treated, if that’s the right word, to a viewing of the business’ latest TV ad.

Interestingly, Ms Merrens did acknowledge the challenge facing Le Shuttle in rebalancing its customer base, as currently 80% of passengers using the Tunnel are UK-resident travellers heading to and from the continent.

The relative volume of ‘continental inbound’ traffic has fallen even further since 2020. It is hoped that more can be done to encourage the French market in particular to see Kent and the south east as a destination. Even if we may struggle to win them over on the merits of our local wine, or convice them – after years of anti-European bitterness and rancour projected in headlines across the Channel – that Britain remains an open and welcoming destination for our friends over the water.

Deirdre Wells OBE, chief executive of Visit Kent, reiterated the importance of recovery in the market for French tourism and – in a veiled nod to the rebuilding of relationships post-Brexit – pointed to the Sunak-Macron tête-à-tête as a positive sign that more can be done to improve cross-border flows between the two nations, particularly for those school coach parties.

“Although the agreement on school groups is, of course, a small step, it really signals there is a genuine willingness to recalibrate the relationship with our nearest neighbour, rebuild the entente cordiale, and ensure we can deliver a smooth, efficient and welcoming experience for all who use our gateways,” she said.

Recalibrate, rebuild, make welcoming. So far, so euphemistic. But one does not have to use the B-word, the audience surely can read between the lines and understand that something which has been broken is in need of repairing.

We appeared to be moving closer to acknowledging the elephant in the room as Port of Dover chief executive Doug Bannister was invited to address the assembled crowd, introduced as “someone who has been literally on the frontline in managing our post-Brexit challenges”.

“Not to be outdone, we’ve rebranded as well,” the American announced. Rebranding, rebuilding, a lot of work going on. Cue another glossy corporate video, which ended with the tagline: “Empower exchange through better connections.”

It was impossible not to reflect on the fact that the very connections on which so much of Kent’s economy depends have been materially worsened by the introduction of more friction at the border since leaving the EU.

It may comfort some to point to any other hitch they can rest their eyes upon to explain away the last 12 months’ disastrous holiday-time chaos at the border, but the fact is – as many insiders will admit, off the record, of course – in taking back control of our borders we have made crossing them more difficult.

In true American style, injecting a sudden air of candidness into the room, Doug wasn’t here to shy away from the issues. “Now, listen guys, I know that for you guys that operate the attractions and the hospitality in Kent, I know at times we put you under pressure,” he said, in direct acknowledgement of the sporadic disruption caused by snarl-ups at the Channel ports.

“I’m really sorry about that, but I can guarantee you we work really hard to make certain that that doesn’t happen. And when it does happen, we clear the disruption faster than anywhere else in the United Kingdom.”

You have to feel for our American friend. I’m convinced that, institutionally, the Port of Dover would have been quite happy without the additional complications Brexit has thrown its way.

Keeping thousands of cars, coaches and lorries flowing all day, every day, is challenge enough without a little more border friction thrown into the mix. But still it’s often the port and Tunnel operators who get it in the neck when things go pear-shaped as a result.

And with that, the speeches were done and dusted, and the mingling over Biddenden bubbles went on. I was keen to raise the B-word and see whether anyone else felt it had been the great unmentionable, amid all the talk of challenges, of repairing and rebuilding.

Sidling up to one leading figure from the cross-Channel travel business, I remarked that surely many of the difficulties we face in this part of the world – as outlined by the procession of speakers – can be traced back, at least in part, to our decision to quit the EU. I received a wry smile in return.

Perhaps, for now at least, some things are best left unsaid. Especially to ingratiating members of the press after a few afternoon drinks.