Travel far, travel free – of insurance
Almost 30 per cent of long-haul holidaymakers fail to take out travel insurance for trips to India – compared with 16 per cent for all destinations
In a new report investigating risk-taking related to popular winter sun destinations for UK tourists, research by Post Office Travel Insurance found that India and the Indian Ocean, Kenya and South Africa are the destinations for which the highest proportion of people fail to take out travel insurance. Whilst 16 per cent of people who had been on a long-haul holiday failed to take out travel insurance for their last trip, this figure rose to 29 per cent for those who visited India. Twenty-two per cent of visitors to Mauritius and Kenya, 21 per cent of those travelling to Sri Lanka and 19 per cent whose last long-haul holiday was in South Africa also travelled without insurance cover.
Yet, the Post Office Travel Insurance Winter Sun Riskometer found that these countries top the ‘risk list’ of places where holidaymakers had problems due to illness, injury and theft most often. Almost a quarter of people (23 per cent) experienced problems in Sri Lanka – compared with five per cent in Canada and six per cent in the US. Meanwhile, 21 per cent of those visiting Mauritius and 18 per cent who went to India also had health, injury and theft issues. Fewer holidaymakers visiting the Caribbean and Egypt encountered problems that might lead to an insurance claim. At the same time, only nine per cent of Caribbean tourists failed to take out travel insurance while just 11 per cent travelled to Egypt without cover.
Country No Insurance Had problems
India 29% 18%
Dubai 23% 10%
Kenya 22% 13%
Mauritius 22% 21%
Sri Lanka 21% 23%
South Africa 19% 15%
Malaysia 16% 13%
Canada 15% 5%
Thailand 13% 12%
Australia 12% 9%
Mexico 12% 10%
Egypt 11% 7%
USA 11% 6%
Caribbean 9% 7%
Paul Havenhand, head of insurance at the Post Office, said: “It is worrying that the countries where holidaymakers are most likely to travel without insurance like India, Sri Lanka and Mauritius are also ones where our research found that more problems occurred that might lead to medical treatment or loss of valuable belongings. If you are planning a winter sun trip to an exotic destination, it is vital to ensure you are comprehensively covered to ensure that you have peace of mind when travelling far away from home. Avoid cheap travel insurance deals that could leave you exposed when problems occur.”
The Post Office Travel Insurance Winter Sun Riskometer also revealed that holidaymakers aged 18 to 34 are most at risk as they are least likely to take out travel insurance. A third said that they did not have travel insurance on their last long-haul trip – compared with only six per cent of those aged 55 and over. For those who were insured and went on to make a claim, the biggest single reason was illness that required medical treatment (35 per cent). Almost as many (31 per cent) needed treatment for accidental injury. One-in-five needed treatment for an injury caused by a sports activity, while 15 per cent needed to be repatriated to the UK because of illness. Fifteen per cent needed transporting by air ambulance.