US travellers to avoid Winter Olympics

The location of this year’s Winter Olympics, Pyeongchang, South Korea, is the thing holding back most US travellers, according to the survey, with 41.4 per cent saying that it was the main reason that they are not interested in going. The cost of travel was another reason for nearly one-third, whilst 18.3 per cent had health and safety concerns about travelling. Only 11.3 per cent were not interested in the sports at the games.

The dangers posed by neighbouring country North Korea seems to be playing on the mind of US travellers, with nearly one-third believing that athletes from the country should not be allowed to enter the games. Around two-thirds of Americans also believe that there is nothing that could be done to persuade them to feel more comfortable travelling to South Korea.

“It’s an increasingly unpredictable world, and attending a major event such as the Winter Olympics, especially considering Pyeongchang’s proximity to North Korea, can be alarming for travellers,” said Daniel Durazo, Director of Communications at Allianz Global Assistance USA. “Travellers may not know that the right travel insurance policy can help give them peace of mind during their trip, as well as assist if things do go wrong.”