Necessity is the Mother of Invention, so they say.

So, flicking through the pages of ITIJ, after years of apathy towards any form travel or health insurance product, all of a sudden the pages are littered with news of new product offerings from the most surprising of sources. Now everyone and their dog are clamouring to offer some kind of travel/health/cancellation insurance policy (see pages 1, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 ...).

“Airlines take Covid cover into their own hands” 

“Covid cover development continues in earnest”

“Countries offer their own cover for Covid” 

“Hotel chain to cover guests’ Covid-19 health insurance” 

“Liberty General to expand customer base with new travel insurance offering”

So, what’s behind this sudden new outlook and drive by airlines, hotels and even countries to ensure medical and financial safety for travellers?

Obviously, it’s an overwhelming desire to look after their customers, to go that extra mile.

Or is it? could it be, a desperate attempt to squeeze any business they possibly can from the few travellers around now, and also to reassure the expected deluge of travellers next year, that the facilities/countries etc. all have the traveller’s best interests at heart?

A cynic might say it’s ‘too little too late’. Not me of course. Jolly fine idea, I say. Bang on chaps. Go for it.

But it could be that it’s ‘shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted’ or perhaps more pertinently trying to get a reluctant horse back in the barn.

Whatever; we can only hope that when this nightmare of a pandemic is over, everyone reflects and prepares for the unexpected, with appropriate travel protection for their travellers, rather than firefight after the event.

That’s what insurance is for, isn’t it? Dealing with the unexpected?

Or perhaps I’m confusing that with a horror movie …