Headline news

Indonesia drops testing requirement, outdoor mask mandate

The government of Indonesia has announced that it will drop pre-departure test requirements for fully vaccinated domestic and international travellers from Wednesday 18 May

Ninety per cent of US travellers likely to purchase travel insurance

A new survey of Allianz Partners USA customers finds that travel insurance is high on their packing list as 90 per cent say they are likely to purchase travel insurance…

Japan to launch pilot tours ahead of reopening to tourists

The Japanese Tourism Agency (JTA) has announced that it will allow operation of small package tours from later this month, prior to the country’s full reopening to international tourists

Allianz Partners returns to growth in travel

Insurer Allianz Partners has announced its full year 2021 results, with €6.2 billion in total revenue and an operating profit of €256 million

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May 2022 Issue

ITIJ Speaks with Meghan Walch - Insuremytrip

Interview: Meghan Walch, Product Manager, InsuremyTrip

Meghan Walch of InsureMyTrip spoke to ITIJ about how the company is recovering from the pandemic, and why products need to change in response to risks as the world emerges…

Frontier insurance and assistance markets in Latin America

Alejandro Alvarez and Alfredo Fernandez Vega review four notable frontier markets in Latin America, identifying challenges and opportunities for insurers and medical assistance suppliers

Processes and partnerships: travel and health insurance in the UAE

Mandy Langfield spoke to James Howard, Head of Europe, Middle East & Africa at AIG Travel, about the company’s hopes to engage more with customers to foster awareness of travel…

Read May issue

Digital nomads and insurance needs

Alysia Cameron Davies discusses the needs of digital nomads from an international health insurance cover perspective, and shares insights from experts about how they have responded to customer demands

Gap year insurance – has Covid reignited a passion for travel among younger people?

With Covid-19 travel restrictions easing across the world, young adults are starting to plan gap year travel again – travelling or working abroad for a year between school and university…

Tackling fraud in the Middle East and North Africa

Phil Peart, Senior Investigations Manager (APAC), World Travel Protection, says you just need to know where to look and what to look for when it comes to unmasking fraudulent travel…

Meeting the needs of expats in the UAE

Tailoring health insurance cover for expats is imperative in an increasingly globalised world. The focus should be on designing the perfect health insurance plan that improves affordability, predictability, and simplicity…

ITIJ Speaks with Karin Tranberg - SOS International

Interview: Karin Tranberg, Executive Vice President of the Travelcare Division, SOS International

Mandy Langfield spoke with Karin Tranberg about her experience in the travel insurance and assistance sector, from starting as an apprentice in the nineties, to becoming Executive Vice President of…

Processes and partnerships: travel and health insurance in the UAE

Mandy Langfield spoke to James Howard, Head of Europe, Middle East & Africa at AIG Travel, about the company’s hopes to engage more with customers to foster awareness of travel…

Interview: Ece Acar Demirkok, Medical Sales Manager, marm assistance

Building medical networks, managing the fallout of the war in Ukraine, and preparing for the FIFA World Cup, is all in a day’s work for marm’s Ece Demirkok

Interview: Meghan Walch, Product Manager, InsuremyTrip

Meghan Walch of InsureMyTrip spoke to ITIJ about how the company is recovering from the pandemic, and why products need to change in response to risks as the world emerges…

Assistance & Repatriation April 2022 Cover

Assistance for high-net-worth clients

The lifestyle of the rich and famous – or high-net-worth (HNW) individuals – often includes a lot of travel. In addition to the risks that all travellers face, however, from…

Kidnap and Ransom risk - Security on the front line

Kidnap and ransom risk (K&R) has changed a lot, with express kidnapping and ransomware demands now more typical industry risks. Clara Bullock spoke to assistance providers and insurers to find…

Adapting customer service to the post-Covid world

The pandemic has changed the way assistance providers work in a myriad of ways – from travel restrictions to Covid-safe transports. But has it affected the way they deal with…

Read Assistance & Repatriation Review

Hospitals & Healthcare news

Only 38 per cent of expats feel optimistic about future

New research by AXA has revealed that only 38 per cent of expats feel optimistic about their future, compared with 44 per cent of the local nationals in their respective…

New broker technology platform launches for IPMI

A digital Health Compass platform was launched, providing intermediaries fully licensed access to the international private medical insurance (IPMI) market

Southern Cross voted NZ’s most trusted health insurer

Southern Cross Health Insurance (Southern Cross) has been recognised in the 2022 Reader’s Digest NZ Most Trusted Brands survey, winning the health insurance category for a sixth consecutive year

The inevitable technology revolution in healthcare

With World Health Day just around the corner on 7 April, Credit Suisse Fund Manager Thomas Amrein highlights the vast spectrum of potential investment opportunities in digital healthcare companies

Directional care, indirect and direct cost containment at your fingertips

Penfield is proud to introduce its new Directional Care Finder platform, a program that ensures high-quality care at the best possible price throughout the US

Meeting the needs of expats in the UAE

Sanctions and their effect on international payments for insurers

Western Union Business Solutions shares their insights on how travel and health insurers are managing payments in light of the sanction imposed on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in…

Travel health screening and corporate responsibility: how do you create resilient solutions?

Juliane Kause from Anvil Group shares a theoretical case in which as pandemic travel restrictions are coming to an end, a company is planning to enhance their duty of care…

EURAMI accreditation update

The board of the European Aero-Medical Institute shares its latest news with ITIJ, detailing which air medical providers are demonstrating their committment to quality care in the air through undertaking…

Directional care, indirect and direct cost containment at your fingertips

Penfield is proud to introduce its new Directional Care Finder platform, a program that ensures high-quality care at the best possible price throughout the US

Using Artifical Intelligence to improve health insurance

Niels Thone, Co-Founder & CEO of Sprout.ai, discusses applying AI to the health insurance value chain

Six value-adding trends that insurance brokers need to know about

William Cooper discusses ways insurance brokers can leverage the latest trends to bring more value to their customers

ITIJ Speaks with Luis Felipe Arango Pardo

Interview: Luis Felipe Arango Pardo, Cedars Sinai Medical Center

Luis Felipe Arango Pardo spoke to Mandy Langfield about providing services to international patients at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, US

Interview: Steve Paraboschi, IMG

Steve Paraboschi, CEO of IMG, speaks about how Covid has changed travel insurance and how IMG is adapting to meet consumer needs in a rapidly changing world

Interview: Dr Hemal Desai, Aetna International

Dr Hemal Desai, Global Medical Director for Aetna International, talks to ITIJ about telemedicine, ‘long Covid’ and how his clinical experience influences his career in insurance

Interview: Anna Gladman, nib Travel

Mandy Langfield spoke to Anna Gladman, CEO of nib Travel, about how the company has coped with the challenges of Covid, and her hopes for the future of the Australian…

Interview: UNICAIR leadership team

The leadership team of UNICAIR shared more details about the merger of Air Alliance Medflight and Jetcall and their plans for the future

Interview: Cory Sobczyk, VP of Business Development, Arch RoamRight Travel

Cory Sobczyk, Vice President of Business Development, Arch RoamRight Travel, tells Mandy Landfield spoke how travel insurers can use data to address issues before they become problems

Interview: Elena Edwards, CEO of Allianz Partners USA

Elena Edwards, CEO of Allianz Partners USA, told Mandy Langfield about regulatory change, enhancing engagement with customers and employees through technology