ITIJ July 2021 issue out now
The latest issue of ITIJ includes news, analysis and interview with travel and health insurance executives on topics including affinity partnerships and employee benefits
The top news in the July 2021 issue continues to be – inevitably – Covid-19 and its ongoing impact on the travel industry. While there are glimmers of positivity in various locations – Cyprus, for example, - in many locations tourist agencies are crying out for the introduction of digital Covid vaccination passports, which would open up the skies to global travel once more.
The news also looks at the insurance being provided to travellers in the UK, with a consumer advocacy group finding that less than one in 100 policies are actually providing comprehensive cover for Covid once all the exclusions have been applied. Consumer faith in the industry is only going to fall if this is truly the case, and insurers need to make sure they are genuinely offering the cover they promise in their headlines, otherwise the ombudsman is going to have a field day later down the line.
Meanwhile, over in the international health insurance arena, we have included an opinion piece from William Russell, and an interview with their partner Pacific Prime, both of whom talk at length about the importance of recognizing the paradigm shift that has taken place with regards to working practices, and what these truly mean for the future of employee benefits in different locations around the world.
Our feature this month is all about partnerships - affinity deals, to be more accurate. Working with airlines, tour operators and other entities in the travel arena requires a careful balance of business enterprise, with matching philosophies key to ongoing success.