Issue 227 | December 2019

ESSENTIAL READING FOR TRAVEL & HEALTH INSURANCE PROFESSIONALS

DECEMBER 2019 • ISSUE 227

International Travel & Health Insurance Journal

NEWS ANALYSIS P.10 RISK FACTORS Avoiding the wrong place at the wrong time

FEATURE P.30 INSURANCE AND CHILL The growth of subscription services

SERVICE DIRECTORY P.37 Your essential guide to suppliers for the global travel and health insurance industry

Happy new year for travel insurers? Pointing the way The ‘insurance signposting’ agreement in the UK has been deemed a success after data from the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) revealed that more than 700,000 cover enquiries have been made since the agreement passed Made between the UK Government, BIBA and the Association of British Insurers (ABI), the new signposting agreement basically ensures that, should an insurer or broker be unable to offer an older customer motor or travel cover due to any upper age limits in place, the insurer or broker shall automatically refer the customer in question to an alternative provider that is able to meet their needs, or else to a dedicated signposting service.

BIBA’s Executive Director Graeme Trudgill believes that the 700,000 figure emphasises the agreement’s success. “We are committed to expanding the ease with which customers with many and varied needs can access suitable insurance,” he said. “We are sure, because we have seen many hundreds of thousands of enquiries from older people seeking insurance where other providers could not assist because of their age, that a signposting system does work

It seems that travellers are finally wising up to the importance of travel insurance, with a spike in travel insurance purchases anticipated in 2020 – and it’s about time too!

This is according to the findings of Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection (BHTP)’s fifth annual State of Travel Insurance survey.

It was conducted in August 2019 and includes responses from 7,292 travellers.

A key finding was that 23 per cent of travellers intend to buy travel insurance more frequently in 2020 than they did in 2019. This might not sound like a high percentage, but intent to purchase was far lower last year, at 14 per cent.

And when we look at the millennial demographic, the findings are even more encouraging: 71 per cent of millennials said that they plan to buy more travel insurance next year.

So why are travellers becoming keener to make travel insurance a necessity? Millennials believe travel insurance can save them time and money when travel doesn’t quite go as planned; and they’d be right! They said that they are most afraid of epidemics and terrorism while travelling (46 per cent), while 69 per cent said that they plan on doing something dangerous so they can post a picture on social media – not quite the reasoning one would have hoped, but if they plan to do this regardless, having travel insurance is infinitely

better than not! “It says a lot about millennials who by and large indicated an appetite to take risks while travelling, yet are showing they are savvy enough to protect themselves with travel insurance,” said Dean Sivley, President of BHTP. The survey also found that millennials are spending a lot of money on travel, particularly millennials with kids. Indeed, 85 per cent of millennials with children spent more than US$5,000 on travel in 2019, while almost 58 per cent of millennials with children spend more than $10,000.

Further survey findings include that travellers see ride share services such as Uber as less

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Editorial comment @ITIJeditor Editor-in-Chief:

Sarah Watson - editor

Ian Cameron ian@itij.com

sarah@itij.com

Editor:

Sarah Watson sarah@itij.com

How do you sum up an event like ITIC Global in Malta in mere words? Well, we’ve tried in this month’s supplement, which gives a full run-down of all the speaker presentations, networking and social events at this year’s conference.

But, if you were there, you’ll know that like all ITIC Global events, it was a mammoth maelstrom of meetings, knowledge-sharing, connecting with partners and peers, and having some fun in between getting down to business and forging debates that really drive the industry forward. Never a dull moment!

Our ITIC Global Review also provides all you need to know about the 2019 ITIJ Awards. Find out more about the winners in each of the categories and see what they had to say about picking up their accolade. It was an honour, as always, to co-host this event, and I’d like to say congratulations once again to all this year’s winners and runners up. If you weren’t there in person, you can watch the 2019 ITIJ Awards on demand at itij.com/awards.

In this issue of ITIJ, our feature articles analyse the responsibilities insurers

have when it comes to warning travellers of the potential dangers they face in their destinations (p.10, Risk factors) and we go deep on the proliferation of subscription-based insurance services (p.30, Insurance and chill), looking at the benefits of this popular model to the insurance industry and exploring the different ways it’s starting to develop.

Elsewhere, we talk to Jeff Rutledge, President & CEO of AIG Travel in the US, about his career, offering inclusive products and, of course, the company’s win at this year’s ITIJ Awards; we learn about the continuing growth of global investment in insurtech; and we hear from AIG Travel in the UK about the risk factors associated with its ‘top 10 unexpected travel destinations’. Plus, we have the latest travel health news, general insurance happenings, key appointments and company announcements. What more could you need to round off your year?

Here’s wishing you a wonderful festive season and all the best for 2020!

Deputy Editor:

Stefan Mohamed stefan@itij.com

Assistant Editors:

Mandy Langfield Lauren Haigh Robyn Bainbridge

Advertising sales:

James Miller Marton Modis Kathryn Zerboni sales@itij.com

Marketing:

Kate Knowles Philippa Jowett

Finance:

Elspeth Reid Alex Rogers

CONTENTS HIGHLIGHTS

Kirstin Reid Design team:

HEADLINE NEWS

P.4 INDUSTRY VOICE

Dodgy travel insurance practices in Hong Kong?

Consumer Council raises concerns

Top 10 unexpected travel destinations and their risks

Tommy Baker

P.18

William McClelland Robbie Gray Rosi Yip Webmaster:

Insights from AIG Travel

Tom Reed

Director of events:

Denise Clements denise@itic.co

COMPANY NEWS

P.23

HSBC UK introduces monthly subscription insurance

+44 (0)117 922 6600 extension 3 advertising desk: extension 1 subscriptions desk: extension 247 Telephone:

editorial desk:

subscriptions@voyageur.co.uk

Customers demand flexibility

accounts desk: email: web:

HEALTH NEWS

A brief history of superbugs

P.12

extension 4 news@itij.com www.itij.com

19 Lower Park Row, Bristol BS1 5BN, UK

Ain’t nothing super about them!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SUBSCRIBE TO ITIJ?

GENERAL INSURANCE NEWS P.26

Insurtech continues to blossom Investment already outclassing 2018

www.itij.com/subscribe Published on behalf of: Voyageur Publishing & Events Ltd. The information contained in this publication has been published in good faith and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. Neither the publisher nor Voyageur Publishing & Events Ltd can accept any responsibility for any error or misinterpretation. All liability for loss, disappointment, negligence or other damage caused by reliance on the information contained in this publication, or in the event of bankruptcy or liquidation or cessation of the trade of any company, individual or firm mentioned is hereby excluded. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.

Printed by Pensord Press, South Wales, United Kingdom Copyright © Voyageur Publishing & Events Ltd 2019. Materials in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without permission INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL & HEALTH INSURANCE JOURNAL

TRAVEL NEWS

Airport anxieties

ISSN 2055-1215

P.16

Survey reveals travellers’ pet hates PEFC/16-33-447

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HEADLINE NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Editorial Blog Avalanches.

First, the good news.

If the predictions of the consumer survey by Berkshire Hathaway (see page 1) come to pass in 2020, then all these years of banging on about educating the travellers about the value of purchasing travel and health insurance is about to produce a consumer avalanche which should put a big smile on the faces of insurers.

Which would make a welcome change (the smile ... not the avalanche ... in fact, usually we would put avalanches in the bad news sector, because they’re snowy, and fall down mountains and cause everyone, including insurers, lots of problems, but no, this a figurative avalanche which could be quite nice really).

Ian Cameron Editor-in-chief

Dominican Republic (where there are no avalanches – of snow, anyway) to their partner back in Europe.

So, what’s to worry about, I hear you say? It’s only one case, not an avalanche?

Yes, but one case could snowball into many cases and could then turn into an avalanche of sexually transmitted tropical diseases, and then we’d all have to stop having sex (if indeed you still had it – sex – in the first place) and … and … and … ... and Merry (avalanche free) Christmas to all (both) my readers

Happy new year for travel insurers? safe than other means of transport and that the top perceived threat to travel is international terrorism, followed by disease outbreaks and safety concerns at their destination. In addition, those who frequently purchase travel insurance said that they want a more tech-driven, customisable travel insurance experience; a desire that can be met given that tech is becoming increasingly prevalent in the industry.

Overall, then, some very encouraging findings for the industry! It will be interesting to see what further developments 2020 brings.

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Pointing the way and that BIBA brokers are able to help.”

Meanwhile, James Dalton, Director of General Insurance Policy at the ABI, insisted that the agreement was having a ‘positive impact’, by helping many older customers access the type of insurance that they need. John Glen, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, agrees with this

The bad news? Dengue fever, one of the many nasty little tropical diseases lurking out there (see page 8) has been transmitted sexually from a tourist who had visited Cuba and the

view. “I’m delighted that the government and industry have again been able to come together to help,” he added. “It’s great to see hundreds of thousands of people have used the signposting service to enquire about motor and travel insurance products and I hope to see even more benefit in the future.”

Dodgy travel insurance Thomas Cook – a practices in Hong Kong? silver lining?

In Hong Kong, a consumer watchdog has raised concerns that holidaymakers are being unfairly steered towards certain insurance plans from travel operators when booking tour packages.

The Consumer Council found that all travel agencies it surveyed, without exception, were engaged in varying degrees in the sale of travel insurance and that, in most cases, the agencies made it optional for consumers to purchase the cover.

It surveyed 18 operators of three popular short-haul tours to Osaka, Japan, and Beijing and Chaoshan, China, and found that EGL Tours had made it mandatory for customers to buy its Osaka five-day trip with a specific travel insurance plan. Five other travel agencies were found to bundle travel insurance with the sale of package tours, while four

Travel experts highlight a bitter lesson following the collapse of travel giant, Thomas Cook: that holidaymakers may now think a little more carefully about purchasing travel insurance.

It’s a sorry state of affairs indeed when the termination of a centuriesold travel company culminates in mass unemployment, hundreds of thousands of stranded travellers, unpaid hotel bills and heavy financial loss for tourism industries worldwide.

But, with the dust now beginning to settle, travel experts at the ABTA Travel Convention in Tokyo have been able to distinguish at least one positive that has come from the situation: that holidaymakers are now much more likely to consider consumer protection.

“It does highlight to the consumer that if you actually book a protected holiday then your money’s safe,” said Brian

others would waive the cover requirement if consumers were able to produce proof of purchase of year-round travel insurance or comprehensive travel insurance. If they were unable to do so, they were required to first pay the insurance premium and later get a refund if they were able to prove they had purchased their own insurance.

When it comes to premiums, the Consumer Council found that some were unreasonable – sometimes representing 20 to 30 per cent of the tour price. While 12 of the travel agents were found not to engage in bundling travel insurance in with the tour purchase, some still required that tour members have comprehensive travel insurance; even going as far as to state that members who couldn’t produce proof of purchase would be barred from departure with the tours.

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Young, Managing Director of group adventure travel company G Adventures.

Young extrapolated that consumers are now doubly likely to ensure that their holiday is protected, either by choosing a package holiday option that includes Atol protection, purchasing flights through their credit card, or else, ITIJ notes, by confirming they have sufficient cover included in their travel insurance. “If they didn’t know before, they certainly do now,” said Young.

Derek Moore, Chairman of Aito, the specialist travel association, argued that Thomas Cook’s collapse highlights that scale is certainly not a guarantee of success.

“Think of Thomas Cook as a large fuel tanker,” he said. “It can’t adjust quickly.

Smaller operators can adapt more quickly to adverse economic conditions.” Moore added that the aviation market would soon fill the gap left by Thomas Cook.

All travel comes with risks.

Don’t let them take it on alone.

When the unexpected happens, and plans are disrupted, a Travel GuardÂŽ travel insurance and global assistance plan helps travelers safely say hello to their next destination.

Visit www.aig.com/travel to learn more.

Thank you for honoring AIG Travel with the 2019 ITIJ Award for International Travel & Health Insurer of the Year.

HEADLINE NEWS

Saudi Arabia introduces compulsory health insurance for tourists The Council of Cooperative Health Insurance (CCHI) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has revealed details of the new compulsory health policy The maximum cover available under the plan, which covers medical tests, emergency treatment, hospitalisation, childbirth, premature birth treatment, injury in a traffic accident, emergency dialysis, medical evacuation both within and outside of Saudi Arabia, and various ancillary costs relating to hospital treatment, is SAR100,000 (US$26,666). Emergency dental treatment, painkillers, antibiotics, pregnancy expenses,

The importance of skiing safe According to new research from UK travel trade association ABTA, Brits heading to the ski slopes need to do better at ensuring they are adequately covered.

ABTA found that a whopping 3.5 million Brits never take out travel insurance for their skiing or snowboarding trips, and that’s just those who admit to it! The organisation wishes to encourage holidaymakers to ensure they have the appropriate cover in place before they depart.

“Nearly one-third of winter sports holidaymakers are heading out to the slopes without the appropriate travel insurance in place, putting themselves at risk of costly medical bills if they have an accident while abroad,” said Nikki White, ABTA’s Director of Destinations and Sustainability. “It’s really important that people take out an insurance policy that covers them for all the activities they plan to do on

repatriation and travel costs for one person accompanying the mortal remains of a relative are also covered, to various amounts.

The policy will be made available for purchase at the same time that applications for tourist visas are made; such visas can either be obtained online or when the tourist in question arrives in Saudi Arabia. For the initial rollout of the policy, citizens from 49 countries will be able to access the service.

The compulsory insurance initiative is part of Saudi Arabia’s overall tourism strategy, through which it hopes to increase tourist arrivals from 41 million at present to over 100 million by 2030.

The unbearable confusion of Brexit

holiday, as well as getting themselves ski-fit beforehand, so they can focus on having an enjoyable and safe trip.”

The research found that those aged 25 to 34 are the demographic with the most first-hand experiences of winter sports injuries, while those in the 45 to 54 age bracket are the most likely to take out travel insurance, especially compared to 18 to 24-year-olds.

In an effort to safeguard travellers, ABTA has teamed up with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and The Ski Club of Great Britain to provide some top tips for those heading to the slopes. These include: ensuring their insurance covers the activities they wish to do; being physically prepared for an active holiday by getting active in advance; and being responsible when it comes to alcohol as, in addition to impairing judgement, it can affect resistance to and awareness of the cold.

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A new survey from insurance startup Cuvva has highlighted that a considerable proportion of UK residents believe that they will lose access to free healthcare in the EU regardless of the outcome of Brexit.

As the Brexit hangover continues to drag on and on, confusion over what this means for UK travellers visiting the EU compounds further. Cuvva’s survey of more than 2,000 UK residents, which it conducted through independent provider OnePoll, revealed that one in four of people asked didn’t know how leaving the EU will affect access to healthcare. In addition, with the EU having now granted the UK an extension on Brexit that will last until the end of January 2020, a worrying number of UK citizens (31 per cent) now believe that regardless of the Brexit outcome, UK residents will lose access to free healthcare in the EU.

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Thankfully, Cuvva has been able to clear up some confusion. The Brexit extension essentially means that holders of the European Healthcare Insurance Card (EHIC) can continue to access necessary stateprovided healthcare until a deal is cemented and details are agreed, the insurance provider asserted. However, in the case of a no-deal exit, the EHIC may no longer be valid.

“EHIC is a good addition to comprehensive travel insurance but it’s not an alternative.

State-provided healthcare might not always be accessible in an emergency, which could leave one with a large bill to settle, if private healthcare is the only option,” said Freddy Macnamara, Founder of Cuvva.

Unsurprisingly for our readers, Cuvva suggests having comprehensive travel insurance in place to ensure that all bases are covered. And so do we.

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HEADLINE NEWS TRAVEL

Healix International has raised the security alert for Hong Kong to moderate

The global provider of travel risk management and international medical, security and travel assistance services, is urging employers to apply stringent security measures for any employees in the region.

This is due to large-scale political demonstrations throughout the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, including in areas popular with tourists.

“The security risk rating for Hong Kong has been raised to MODERATE by Healix

International, owing to an escalation of the ongoing anti-government protests,” said Sebastian Liu, Global Threat Analyst for the Asia-Pacific region at Healix International.

“Unrest has been ongoing since June and while the initial protests attracted hundreds of thousands of demonstrators, they were largely peaceful. However, clashes between protesters and the police are now being reported on a near daily basis, with the police regularly deploying tear gas, water

cannon, baton charge, rubber bullets and, occasionally, live ammunition; at least three protesters have been wounded by live fire in the protests so far.”

One security measure recommended by Healix is the implementation of tracking of employees for their own safety. The Healix Sentinel Tracker can be used by risk managers via the Healix Sentinel Travel Oracle mobile app to monitor and account for employees working around

the world. Employees can activate the location tracker function on their app, enabling risk managers to view their location on an interactive map, with security alerts and notifications sent to both employees and risk managers.

Employers must exercise their duty of care in ensuring that their employees are as safe as possible while travelling. With communication, security alerts and geotracking, this can be successfully done.

HEALTH

Tropical fever passed sexually from tourist to partner A Spanish hospital has reported what is believed to be the first case in Europe of someone contracting dengue fever through having sexual relations with an infected partner, writes David Ing The affected man had not visited any risk area, but his male companion had been to two Caribbean islands and presented the same symptoms, according to the Madrid regional health authority. It is believed to be only the second case of its kind to be reported. A similar incident has previously occurred in South Korea, the Madrid Region’s Directorate General of Public Health added, but in that case it was through sexual relations between a heterosexual couple.

The authority said that the man involved, described only as ‘young’, had not been out of Spain for a period of 45 days before the symptoms began to emerge. This meant it was registered initially by the capital’s Ramón y Cajal Hospital as an autochthonous case. His partner, meanwhile, had developed similar symptoms 10 days earlier, after returning from a trip that took in Cuba and the Dominican Republic. The link between the two was confirmed from analyses carried out by the laboratories of the National Centre for Microbiology.

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Although dengue-carrying mosquitoes are becoming more widespread around the warmer coastal regions of southern Europe, Madrid is situated at more than 600 metres above sea level and is 350 kilometres from the nearest beach area.

The health authority said checks had shown no evidence of the insect’s presence at the men’s home or at any of the places they frequented. Then, when the two men acknowledged that they had had unprotected sex in September, the hospital decided to take semen samples. These showed up positive, and it was ascertained that they were of the same strain of dengue as one currently recorded as circulating in Cuba.

Dengue fever, which is generally transmitted through being bitten by the Aedes mosquito, is endemic in warmer regions of the Americas, Southeast Asia and Africa.

HEADLINE NEWS

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NEWS ANALYSIS

Risk factors

In light of the latest states of unrest in different parts of the world, Milan Korcok asks where insurers’ responsibilities lie when it comes to warning travellers of the risks inherent in their destinations The massacre of a defenceless Mormon family by Mexican drug cartel assassins on 4 November in the state of Sonora, just a few miles south of the US border, is just

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of Paradise Realised? Are travellers truly aware that their benefits can be cancelled out if they travel into zones their government has warned them against? And are insurers doing enough to protect their clients?

headlines in media outlets around the world almost weekly. Yet tourists keep coming – about 41 million are estimated to have arrived in just the first eight months of this year, 60 per cent of them Americans and 1.6 million Canadians. That’s over seven per cent more than last year, despite the fact that Canadian, UK and US governments have advised their citizens to ‘Avoid all Travel’ or ‘Avoid Nonessential Travel’ to 15 of Mexico’s 31 states.

Sonora is an ‘Avoid all travel’ zone, as is

Global threats During this past summer, it was not only Mexico that was hurt by messy headlines. So was the Dominican Republic, where a spate of alleged random poisonings at high-end resorts had tourism reservations plunging – at one point up to 70 per cent. These patrons were also in the wrong place at the wrong time, as were the many travellers caught up in, or witnessing, civil disobedience events, protests, demonstrations and, in some cases, deadly riots, in Indonesia, Catalonia, Paris, Hong Kong, Chile, Ecuador, Haiti, Algeria, Moscow, Lebanon, Egypt, Bolivia, Jordan, even London, and on and on. And let’s not forget that China also has warned its citizens of the risks they face in travelling to the US, citing exorbitant medical costs, gun crimes, robberies, and muggings.

Are travellers truly aware that their benefits can be cancelled out if they travel into zones their government has warned them against?

the latest in a string of bad news stories coming out of the seventh most popular tourism destination in the world*: a paradox hard to explain. Had the victims of the Sonora attacks been American visitors from Colorado, Texas, or Missouri, travel insurers would have been be poring over their policy exclusions to see how vulnerable they might have been to serious cancellation claims.

As it was, the nine victims (six of who were children, two of them not yet old enough to walk) were dual American/Mexican citizens (descended from mostly American roots) and respected residents of a Mexican farming community who were on their way to an extended family wedding. Initial investigations suggested it was not a targeted hit but that their three-car caravan just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

For Mexico, this is not an unusual occurrence.

Stories of innocent victims being brutalised and killed either deliberately or as collateral damage in drug-fuelled turf wars make

the state of Tamaulipas, across a small bridge to Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, where thousands of American and Canadian snowbirds spend their winters, and where one of their primary activities is going over the river to Mexico to buy trinkets in tourist stalls and have lunches they brag about to their friends at home. Are they really unaware that by one unavoidable incident they might be stripped of critical medical benefits they literally ‘bet their lives on’ when they bought their snowbird insurance? Do they really believe that because they are innocent, well-meaning tourists, they are invincible? Or do they think about that at all?

The warnings governments post for citizens travelling abroad are not deep state secrets.

They’re not merely suggestions. ‘Avoid all travel’ is not an ambiguous message. And it is clearly visible on warning systems available to anyone within reach of a smartphone or laptop. But are those warnings simply drowned out by the seductive tourism images

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– far more than just ‘don’t forget travel insurance when you leave home’.

The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), US State Department, Global Affairs Canada, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade have a long tradition of sharing foreign intelligence through their ‘Five Eyes’ alliance (see sidebar). The latter four of this group have evolved their advisories into a four-tier alert paradigm: 1) Exercise normal precautions.

2) Exercise increased precautions.

3) Avoid non-essential travel or reconsider travel.

4) Avoid all travel.

The FCO has merged into more of a hybrid system, using tier designations for some nations (‘Against all travel’ and ‘Against all but essential travel’), with more narrative descriptions of safety advice for other countries. But the substance of the warnings is essentially the same as its other ‘Five’ partners.

For travellers, the issue of safe spaces, security, and access to reliable information is more important than ever For travellers, the issue of safe spaces, security, and access to reliable information is more important than ever. Increasingly, government travel advisory services have been refining their own warning systems and emphasising the critical role travel insurance plays in protecting their safety for any international travel. And these warnings are becoming very proactive

When regional advisories are applied, all Five Eyes partners usually use the same rating.

For example, they all currently rate Turkey (the sixth top tourism destination according to the World Tourism Organization) as a Level Two destination, meaning travellers should exercise increased precautions when travelling about the country as a whole, but should ‘Avoid non-essential

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NEWS ANALYSIS travel’ (Level Three) to the provinces of Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hakkari, Hatay, Kilis, Mardin, Sanliurfa, Sirnak, Siirt, and Tunceli in southeast Turkey due to the unpredictable security situation and the threat of terrorism and kidnapping; and ‘Avoid all Travel’ to any areas within 10 miles of the border with Syria.

Occasionally, there may, however, be some slight differences of opinion amongst the Five Eyes – albeit always gentlemanly – as advisories are written primarily for the specific needs of one’s own citizens, so there are different perspectives in play. Australians, for example, appear to have a more benign view of the Chinese, with whom they are virtually neighbours. So, Australia’s Smartraveller system rates travel to China as warranting only normal precautions. Whereas Americans and Canadians are advised by their governments to exercise increased caution when travelling to China. Their relationships with the Chinese right now are rather prickly.

Furthermore, the US applies the elevated ‘Increased level of caution’ advisory for its citizens considering travel to Cuba, while Canada sticks to the lowest level warning ‘Exercise normal precautions’. That’s a historical remnant of Canada’s hesitancy to sign on to America’s Cuban embargoes. As far back as the late 1960s, Canada’s Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (father of current PM Justin) regularly visited Fidel Castro for vacation time, enjoying Cuba’s fabled scuba diving. In effect, they were pals and Canadians have continued that relationship, blessing Cuba’s economy with about a million visits per year – the most of any nation.

Governments promote travel insurance One common message prevalent through the Five Eyes partnership is an emphasis on the need for all travellers to have insurance, to examine and understand their coverage limits, and particularly to understand the pertinence and importance of the advisory levels. They all state quite clearly that travelling into high-risk zones (Levels Three and Four) could invalidate all, or parts, of the insurance coverage travellers pay for.

The New Zealand government’s Safe Travel site has a particularly well-crafted exposition of travel insurance – it details

the types of plans available, questions to ask, and examples of situations abated by insurance. It is proof that travel insurance can really be explained thoroughly, clearly from the purchaser’s point of view, and in plain language – even the hard parts.

Are insurers responsible?

What, then, are the agents’ or sellers’ responsibilities in warning their clients of the risks they face while enjoying their seasonal idyls in the sun, or on the slopes, or at the metropolitan attractions of New York, Paris or Singapore? In an article published in ITIJ in February 2017 (Issue 194), it was reported that no UK or EU legislation governs how much information tour operators must provide their clients about countries they intend to visit, and it emphasises that travel agents cannot be expected to have detailed knowledge of the security situation in each country, beyond that which is provided by governments.

Citing a California court decision (McCollum v. Friendly Hills Travel Center) the ITIJ article notes that the decision in that landmark case recognised that though a travel agency has a duty to warn consumers of any dangers of which it is aware, ‘the law requires only that agents be loyal, not prescient’.

Travel industry lawyer Mark Pestronk, legal briefs columnist for the US-based publication Travel Weekly, goes a step beyond and writes that, in general, agents should warn their customers about destination dangers they know about or should know about, but that the client would not ordinarily have knowledge of, ‘although there are no hard and fast rules about what agents need to disclose’. Pestronk notes: “If there’s something there that would give rise to a duty to warn … and there was nothing in the general media about it, then I would say, yes, absolutely there would be a duty to warn.”

Might that information scupper a sale?

Perhaps. But then customers come to their insurance providers for protection.

And they’re not going to stop travelling after one disappointment. They’ll likely just change their ticket to another destination, or as many appear to be doing, hang on to the belief that they are above it all.

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Writing in the trade publication Travelmarkets Report (5 December 2018), Paul Ruden, former Executive Vice-President for Legal and Industry Affairs for the American Society of Travel Agents, notes that the general trend in court opinions is that the travel adviser is a fiduciary in relation to his client.

“All things considered,” adds Ruden, “were

reasonably do in the circumstances … (and) if the client is looking for an ‘adventure’, the information provided may easily be overlooked or discounted. But at least you provided a basis for a better outcome.”

It’s not going to get any easier Unless one believes that the global upheavals

Increasingly, government travel advisory services have been refining their own warning systems and emphasising the critical role travel insurance plays I in the retail business, I would remind all clients of the basic rules of self-care when travelling to destinations with which they have little or no familiarity. I would apply this approach most rigorously if there were recent reports of particular acts of violence, sexual or otherwise, involving tourists … And if I were aware of seriously problematic events at the destination, I would also reference recent press reports and the State Department advisories.”

He concludes: “That is the best one can

of recent months are seasonal aberrations and that we’ll soon get back to a state of ‘normality’, travel providers, including insurers, might well have to become more active when it comes to advising their clients about their travel plans. Simply warning them about the exclusions in their benefits will not be sufficient. They may have to become geo-political mentors as well as protection providers in order to keep their clients from getting into the wrong place at the wrong time. ■ The Five Eyes:

elite intelligence sharing The Five Eyes (FVEY) is an anglophone intelligence gathering network comprising the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It dates back to the Second World War when its founding partners, the UK and US, joined forces to gather signals, military and human intelligence, primarily targeting the resurging Soviet Union by monitoring soviet submarine activities in the North Atlantic. It also helped reveal the spies who tried to compromise the Manhattan project (the construction of the first atom bomb). Canada joined in 1948, Australia and New Zealand in 1956. It remained deeply secret for many years and is considered by intelligence experts as one of the most complex and far reaching intel and espionage alliances in history.

Even today, each of the five participants have designated geographic areas for monitoring. It has been called the world’s most exclusive intelligence sharing club. *World Tourism Organization ranking 2018

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HEALTH NEWS

A brief history of superbugs A new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that superbug infections remain a huge threat despite progress in the area For those who don’t know, there’s nothing super about superbugs. They are strains of bacteria that have developed resistance to numerous types of antibiotics.

As such, infections of this kind are notoriously difficult to treat and are a growing cause of death and disability.

Indeed, the CDC states in its report – Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States – that, in the US, someone dies from a superbug EVERY 15 MINUTES, with more than 2.8 million antibiotic resistant infections occurring in the US each year, causing more than 35,000 deaths. These terrifying statistics illustrate the scope of the problem.

Antibiotics that were once effective are no longer working, and people are dying as a result. As the report states: “Some miracle drugs no longer perform miracles.”

Although the overuse of antibiotics is undeniably problematic, there are other factors at play, and efforts to curtail the spread of superbugs require multiple components. “It’s not just new antibiotics that we need. We also need new vaccines, new diagnostics and other new tools to help doctors better treat their patients or better prevent infections in the first place,” said Michael Craig, Senior Advisor for Antibiotic Resistance at the CDC. The report also identifies three threats that

have not spread resistance widely in the US but could become common without a ‘continued aggressive approach’.

All hope is not lost, though. The report states that, despite a rise in prevalence, since 2013 there has been an 18-per-cent drop in deaths from all types of antibiotic infections overall, and a nearly 30-per-centdrop in hospitals. “This data is exciting because it shows that we are not powerless against antibiotic resistance,” said Dr Hilary Babcock, President of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

This progress is thanks to, in part, CDC

investments in public health infrastructure and collaborating with partners to improve the use of antibiotics. Through its Antibiotic Resistance Solutions Initiative, CDC is investing in national infrastructure to detect, respond, contain, and prevent resistant infections across healthcare settings, food, and communities.

Ultimately, antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest health challenges of our time, and without a collaborative global approach across all sectors, it may not be contained. “[This] success is undoubtedly due to public health and healthcare

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“

There’s nothing super about superbugs

professionals who stand up to this threat every day, as well as every state public health department ... and other federal agencies committed to take action against it,” stated Dr Robert Redfield, CDC Director.

Hopefully, with continued focus and collaboration, the threat of superbugs can be eradicated.

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HEALTH NEWS

British Airways sued over ‘infected food’ From being the target of a cyberattack that resulted in the airline having to pay out a hefty fine, to pilots striking due to pay and conditions, British Airways has had its (well publicised) struggles this year – and unfortunately for the beleaguered airline, it seems that it’s not over yet.

BA recently coughed up (no pun intended) £15,000 to a passenger who claimed that BA was responsible for giving her food poisoning and ruining a trip to the Dominican Republic.

Food poisoning is definitely not something

Polio returns to Philippines after 19 years

you’d expect to take home from a five-star trip, yet just three days into her all-inclusive break, Jessica Librati was struck down by gastroenteritis.

“It was Dominican five-star, so you don’t have the same expectation as if you were going to the Ritz in London, but it was still a five-star holiday, so it was disappointing,” she said. “The chicken appeared pink and undercooked. I’m not the sort of person to make a big fuss, I just got something else.”

Librati promptly sued BA for

compensation, believing the airline was liable as it had guaranteed high-quality food throughout the holiday. Although BA denied responsibility, it agreed to pay out £4,250 in compensation and £11,000 for Librati’s legal costs after a judge ruled that ‘infected food’ from the hotel was likely to blame.

They say there is no such thing as bad publicity, though we cynical types at ITIJ have always been suspicious of the phrase – let’s hope that BA has some better news in 2020!

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Polio is re-emerging in the Philippines19 years after the country was declared polio-free, according to the Department of Health. Health Secretary Francisco Duque said that government scientists have confirmed the re-emergence of the disease, and that this is due, in part, to poor immunisation coverage, lack of sanitation and proper hygiene and poor surveillance by health workers.

Polio is a serious viral infection that causes temporary or permanent paralysis, which can be life threatening. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that, in addition to the need for all travellers to the Philippines to be fully vaccinated, adults who have already been fully vaccinated should receive an additional

“

Polio is a serious viral infection that causes temporary or permanent paralysis, which can be life threatening

(single) lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine. “Even if you were vaccinated as a child or have been sick with polio before, you may need a booster dose to make sure you are protected,” it states on its website.

The CDC said that, for travellers who intend to be in the Philippines for four weeks, the Philippine Government may require proof of polio vaccination before they leave the country. “To meet this requirement, you should get the polio vaccine between four weeks and 12 months before you leave the Philippines. Talk to your doctor about whether this requirement applies to you,” it told travellers.

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HEALTH NEWS

Australia takes precautions over swine fever fears As a major swine fever outbreak sweeps across Asia, leading to the deaths of millions of pigs, Australia has tightened biosecurity in the hopes of staving off its own outbreak of the disease.

A 44-year-old woman from Vietnam was turned away from Australia and banned for three years after flying into Sydney airport with a suitcase full of food, which she failed to declare. The suitcase contained 22 pounds of food, including cooked pigmeat, which could conceivably have been carrying the African swine fever infection – outbreaks have been reported in all Vietnam’s cities and provinces, with more than 5.4 million pigs having to be culled as a result.

It is the first time that a visitor’s visa has been cancelled due to lying about

concealed food, according to a tweet from Australia’s Agriculture Minister.

The current swine fever outbreak has spread at a worrying pace, affecting three continents since 2017. The disease has appeared in a new country practically every month in 2019, and there are fears that smuggled food which is then consumed by local pigs could aggravate the spread.

According to customs officials, incidences of the virus in smuggled pork products have increased threefold over the past year.

While this strain of swine fever has not yet been observed to spread to humans, it is biologically possible that it could, so there is a major public safety concern aspect to the huge outbreak, as well as the harm that it has done to animals – and to Asia’s pork industry.

DRC Ebola cases Eliminating malaria with down – but the spray drones outbreak isn’t over Chinese drone technology company DJI is collaborating with a malaria task force on an innovative technique to eliminate the disease.

DJI has pooled its expertise with a team of entomologists in the field of malaria elimination, leading to

“

The rate of new cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has dropped from an April high of 128 per week to 15, but the outbreak is persistent and emergency status remains in place While WHO stated that it still considers the outbreak to be a public health emergency, the organisation’s Director of Emergency Response Dr Michael Ryan did offer some tentative optimism, saying that: “We believe we are on what could be a bumpy road to zero new infections.” Indeed, the fact that new case rates have dropped to a recent low of 15 over the course of a week has been called ‘encouraging’.

However, cases do keep popping up around the DRC, a problem amplified by the fact that the locations in which they are appearing are remote and frequently

dangerous, with violence and robberies a common occurrence. There is also little or no public awareness of Ebola in these lawless mining regions, making health workers’ lives significantly more difficult.

WHO’s most recent figures show that the fatality rate is still high, sitting at 67 per cent, even in the face of the rolling out of two treatments that have been shown to be very effective. The efficacy of these treatments, though, hinges on patients being given transfusions very rapidly after the onset of infection.

Interestingly, at least in terms of numbers of deaths, Ebola is not currently the most dangerous biological phenomenon in the DRC; since January, over 4,000 people have died from measles infections.

At the time of writing, there have been over 3,220 cases of Ebola – either confirmed or probable – since the outbreak began in August last year, and over 2,100 deaths.

fields, because spraying by hand is very time consuming and using a helicopter is too expensive and simply not realistic.”

The scientists will continue spraying and will sample the larvae and emerging mosquito population before, during and

The use of spray drones proves to be essential in efficiently treating large rice fields, because spraying by hand is very time consuming and using a helicopter is too expensive and simply not realistic

an exciting breakthrough.

In a pilot project, the use of spray drones targeting mosquito-infested rice fields was explored. This took place in Zanzibar, Africa, using a modified DJI MG1-S Agras drone, which sprayed mosquito-infested rice fields with Aquatain AMF, a unique non-toxic and biodegradable silicone-based liquid.

By spreading the liquid across stagnant water, a thin film was created, which prevented pupae and larvae from breathing at the surface, causing them to drown.

“We are proud to be pioneers in this field along with scientific experts using our spray drones against malaria in Africa, and we have great hopes that this approach will significantly contribute towards defeating this fatal disease in affected regions around the world,” said Dr Barbara Stelzner, Director of Marketing and Corporate Communication at DJI Europe. “Reducing the cases of new malaria infections will not only put an end to all the suffering of people, but it will also contribute to generate larger harvests, and provide new economic perspectives in Africa.”

The scientist behind the project, Dr Bart Knols, also commented on the findings: “The use of spray drones proves to be essential in efficiently treating large rice

after spraying to determine the possible impact of this approach in large rice irrigation schemes that are found throughout Africa.

Professor Wolfgang Richard Mukabana from the University of Nairobi said that the project is the first to attempt to fight malaria with spray drones on such a large scale and that he hopes the spray drone technology will prove useful in eradicating the disease.

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TRAVEL NEWS

Airport anxieties A new survey from independent airport lounge pass provider Priority Pass details the most stressful elements of the airport experience, according to travellers The survey, which took in responses from 1,720 air travellers from the UK, found that baggage collection is considered to be the most anxiety-inducing aspect of the airport routine, with 48.9 per cent of respondents citing it. Passing through security came second, with 46.5 per cent, followed by waiting for transfers (also 46.5 per cent), checking in (43.7 per cent)

“

per cent said they were worried about losing their luggage, and 41 per cent said that they were worried about losing a child.

Moving on to things that do happen, nine per cent of travellers said that they had missed a flight at some point, with the 16-24 age group the most likely to do this, while only six per cent had forgotten their passport (though men were more than twice as likely to do this than women). And 20 per cent of people travelling with their families said that they had needed to sprint to the gate at one time or another.

“The survey has shown some very interesting results, particularly relating to people’s worries

Earthquake warning system gets piloted in the US

Considering that travel is meant to be a pleasant experience, it seems that many people find the experience to be very much the opposite

and – though technically this doesn’t happen at the airport – packing for a holiday (42.6 per cent). The rest of the top 10 consisted of, in ascending order: travelling to the airport, getting to the relevant boarding gate, arriving at the airport, landing, and storing hand language.

Priority Pass also asked travellers to discuss the sorts of eventualities that made them feel anxious when it comes to air travel, i.e. not necessarily things that definitely happen.

Sixty-three per cent of respondents said that they were the most worried about getting stuck on their way to the airport, while 61

and stresses whilst travelling,” said Andy Besant, Travel Experience Director at Priority Pass. “Almost one in 10 have missed their flight, which is quite a shock, considering you need to be at the airport two hours before your flight.”

Considering that travel is meant to be a pleasant experience, it seems that many people find it to be very much the opposite. Is it terribly surprising, though? As far as we at ITIJ can see, airports seem to be specifically designed to be unwelcoming and stressful – far from the most ideal way to begin a nice, relaxing holiday.

Is it time to re-think the whole experience?

A new app that warns users when an earthquake is imminent has been launched in its pilot form in Washington and Los Angeles in the US. The earthquake early warning system (EEW) app, ShakeAlert, was developed by the US Geological Survey (USGS) and research universities in California, Oregon and the University of Washington. It uses seismometers and sophisticated computer algorithms to pick up the initial detection waves of an earthquake and sends an alert

to people likely to experience shaking, allowing them to take appropriate action.

“The seconds to tens of seconds of advance warning can allow people and systems to take actions to protect life and property from destructive shaking,” the USGS states on its website.

It has been reported that scientists are making plans to assemble a further 100 seismometers in Washington and Oregon in order to establish improved EEW network capability.

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TRAVEL NEWS

Airlines implement measures to protect planet Earth From carbon offsetting to carbon positivity, what practices are being enacted by the travel industry?

Carbon offsetting is becoming an increasingly popular practice. With growing awareness and concern about the extent to which our planet is suffering due to greenhouse emissions and climate change, carbon offsetting is one way that individuals and companies can take action.

It involves spending money to compensate for putting carbon into the atmosphere.

These funds go towards supporting projects that produce clean energy or reduce carbon emissions in other ways.

With a new phenomenon called ‘flight shaming’ seeking to create awareness about carbon footprints and encourage accountability, the time is now to make positive environmental changes. A number of travel companies are on the right page and are offsetting the holidays that they

“

Lufthansa Group is another airline heading towards sustainable aviation. In its 25th sustainability report, it underlines the moves it is making to this end. Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Lufthansa Group, commented on the airline’s sense of duty: “Aviation brings many achievements for the modern world. There is no globalisation without airlines. We are aware of the fact that the past years’ growth in passenger numbers also implies growing responsibility for us to ensure that future mobility will be shaped in environmentally compatible ways. We are investing billions in state-of-the-art aircraft that consume 25-per-cent less kerosene than their predecessors.” The fleet now boasts 40 ultramodern Boeing 787-9 and Airbus A350900 long-haul aircraft, which are believed to be the most fuel efficient in their class.

This year, the Group has made all duty air travel for its staff CO2 neutral. It is achieving

owns British Airways. IAG has pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by the year 2050.

On its website it states: “With Flightpath net zero, we are putting environmental sustainability at the heart of our business, ready to meet the task ahead. We are also using our influence to encourage industry partners to play their part and calling on governments to create the policies and incentives that will ensure we collectively meet our global climate goals.”

Not everyone is a fan of carbon offsetting though; Responsible Travel, which is an online directory of holiday companies, believes the practice is flawed and stated that it will not promote tour operators’ offsetting schemes on its website. According to the company’s Founder Justin Francis: “They provide a quick fix and delay the need for urgent innovation and investment by allowing the continued use of emissionsintensive fuels.” The company said that it instead advocates a global tax on aviation.

We are … calling on governments to create the policies and incentives that will ensure we collectively meet our global climate goals

sell by putting money into reforestation and renewable energy initiatives. For example, British Airways intends to cut its carbon dioxide emissions in half by the year 2050, while Virgin Atlantic is partnering with manufacturers and tech companies to develop a jet fuel that creates 50-per-cent less carbon that fossil fuels, and Alaska Airlines is the first airline to remove plastic straws from its flights.

this by offsetting emissions by a Swiss climate protection foundation called myclimate. In addition, it has vowed to convert all ground handling services in Germany, Austria and Switzerland to CO2-neutral operations by 2030. Furthermore, the airline intends to expand its social commitment, which will be done through a series of projects in Germany.

Another company setting a good example is International Airlines Group (IAG), which

As it is weighted, business- and first-class travellers and those taking domestic flights pay more than those in economy seats.

Much Better Adventures is another company that is skeptical of the efficacy of carbon offsetting schemes. Founder Sam Bruce said: “The truth is people will continue to travel and we need to reduce the carbon that’s being spat out from their travels and make sure we’re putting it back in. The travel industry should be doing more. Offsetting shouldn’t be about carbon neutrality; it should be about being carbon positive.”

It is refreshing to see travel companies setting a good example, whether that be through carbon offsetting or alternative environmentally friendly practices. A domino effect is being seen with more and more companies and individuals eager to play a role in protecting our planet. Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see the pledges and initiatives that emerge from airlines and other important entities in the travel industry.

Dubai’s new alcohol regulations to confuse foreigners further Dubai has introduced new alcohol regulations that experts suggest are ‘just short of entrapment’ for foreign visitors.

Media reports of tourists unknowingly violating strict alcohol policies in Dubai seem to be a frequent occurrence, but the country’s new law will allow foreigners

“

of alcohol and intoxication. People are not generally arrested for buying alcohol, but for having alcohol in their bloodstream,” she said. “Dubai has not specified a blood alcohol level to define legal intoxication, and the new law doesn’t clarify that. What the new law does is create potential revenue through

the misconception that the country was tolerant of Western drinking culture.

“This is a serious misperception, and countless foreigners have landed in jail because of it,” Stirling said, adding that tourists should be made aware of just how easy it is to be arrested, jailed and

Without a defined legal blood alcohol limit, a tourist can be at risk of malicious arrest even when consuming alcohol legally

entering the country on tourist visas to obtain a licence that will make it legal for them to buy alcohol, a provision that was previously only available to resident foreigners.

However, Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, asserted that this rule would likely do little to eradicate the confusion around alcohol-related arrests. “Very few, if any, cases have to do with the purchase of alcohol; but instead have to do with the consumption

the granting of licences, and further mislead people into thinking that they can buy and consume alcohol without any risks. But the same risks remain as before. You can get a licence, purchase alcohol legally, consume it legally, and the moment you step outside, you can be arrested for public intoxication based on a minuscule blood alcohol level.”

Stirling added that the plethora of pubs and bars dotted across Dubai only compounded

convicted in the UAE. “Without a defined legal blood alcohol limit, a tourist can be at risk of malicious arrest even when purchasing and consuming alcohol legally.

Essentially, if a person has a licence, they are allowed to buy alcohol, and are allowed to drink alcohol, but they are still not allowed to have alcohol in their bloodstream.

Dubai’s announcement of the new rules, really, is just short of entrapment.”

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INDUSTRY VOICE

Top 10 unexpected travel destinations and their risks

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As far-flung parts of the world have become more accessible to foreigners in recent years, a growing trend of travellers seeking new and different travel destinations has emerged. AIG Travel recently compiled a list of the top 10 unexpected travel destinations. As those of us in the travel industry know well, travelling abroad – whether for business or pleasure – comes with risks specific to the destination, the traveller, the mode of transportation, and so on. A travel assistance provider can help give clients a more complete picture of what

in the country since the October election.

Travellers should keep this in mind if planning a trip in the near term, as protests and demonstrations can quickly get out of hand.

Ecuador Ecuador is an emerging budget travel destination that offers something for almost every kind of traveller: islands, mountains, jungles and the Pacific Ocean. Off the coast of Ecuador are the Galapagos Islands, famed for their wildlife viewing. The country is also

Travelling abroad – whether for business or pleasure – comes with risks specific to the destination, the traveller, the mode of transportation, and so on they can expect during their impending travel.

If you’re an assistance provider, here are some key points to share with your clients about visiting these countries.

Bolivia This Central American country is a popular destination for adventure travellers, among whom it’s known as a hiking and backpacking paradise. Salar de Uyuni, or salt flats, is the country’s top tourist destination and makes for a beautiful photo op. Travellers should seek reputable guides, and may need assistance doing so, as not all tour operators will have equipment like satellite phones for emergency communication. The risk of altitude sickness should be a concern to travellers to the region, as should the lack of amenities and infrastructure and difficulty accessing medical treatment in rural areas.

Security, including corruption and petty crime, is also an issue in the country. Although Bolivia generally has moderate levels of civil unrest, widespread protests have been ongoing

a hot spot for foodies because of its diverse herbs, spices, fruits and animals. Ecuador poses a moderate risk due to crime (both violent and petty), corruption and kidnapping, so we advise travellers to avoid travelling alone (especially at night), minimise displays of wealth, and request formal documentation or receipts if facing a fine from a security official.

Russia Only recently accessible to many travellers, Russia is an ideal destination for those interested in history and architecture, but it does require extensive planning and preparation to ensure a pleasant trip. Firstly, foreign travellers are required to apply for a visa as well as receive an invitation from a licensed tourism operator or a Russian citizen. Travellers should be mindful of their belongings, as pick-pocketing and bagsnatching are common. Kidnapping – for either ransom or political reasons – and terrorism are more of a concern in the north Caucasus region. Access to medical care

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James Howard, Head of AIG Travel’s operations in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa, shares AIG Travel’s list of the top 10 unexpected travel destinations and explores the potential risks travel insurance providers should share with their clients

can be an issue when in rural areas. LGBTQ+ travellers should be discreet, including scrubbing their orientation from social media and clearing their browser/app history, due to the risk of being targeted by anti-LGBTQ+ laws.

Kyrgyzstan Outdoor enthusiasts are likely to enjoy trekking and backpacking across Kyrgyzstan and camping in yurts; however, tourism in the country’s mountain and lake regions is slow due to a lack of financial resources. Those taking part in adventure travel in the country should bring a first aid kit for common injuries and illnesses, such as cuts and scratches, as over-the-counter painkillers, bandages, bug spray and other medicines can be difficult to obtain. Corruption (across all levels of Kyrgyz Government), crime and civil unrest are the primary concerns in the region. Travellers should be aware of police officers soliciting bribes, secure their belongings and carry minimal cash and valuables, especially in crowded areas. Civil unrest is fairly common in Bishkek, the country’s capital, which can cause travel disruptions throughout the city.

Bhutan Travellers interested in culture, religion and

architecture will enjoy Bhutan’s timeless and distinct identity. It is, however, a difficult and expensive locale to get to. There are few flights into the main airport and few land border-crossing options, both of which can be dangerous. Additionally, travellers should avoid speaking negatively about the country’s politics, leadership and monarchy, as locals are likely to be offended.

Croatia This affordable alternative to Italy and Greece offers stunning coast lines and a Mediterranean climate. Crime levels in Croatia are lower than in neighbouring countries; however, travellers should take caution in crowded areas, where opportunistic petty crime is more common. Although Croatia is involved in border disputes, they aren’t likely to affect travellers. Protests in the country are typically peaceful. Due to tensions with the other countries of the former Yugoslavia, though, travellers should avoid discussing these topics, as they remain sensitive.

United Arab Emirates (UAE) One of the safest Middle Eastern countries to visit, UAE is home to Dubai, which is central to the country’s tourism. Although laws are

INDUSTRY VOICE quite strict, which contributes to the low crime rate, tourists are allowed to drink alcohol in hotels, restaurants and clubs, despite the common misconception. Because of the conservative Islamic culture, travellers should take care to not violate any cultural or religious sensitivity. For example, female travellers must wear long sleeves at the zoo in Dubai and a headscarf at a mosque, and travellers should avoid swearing, making rude gestures, or engaging in public displays of affection.

Adherence to driving laws is important, as Emiratis are given preferential treatment over travellers in the case of accidents.

“

Jordan With ancient ruins dotting Jordan’s countryside, travellers might be surprised

may occur. There is also a risk of terrorism due to Jordan’s proximity to high-risk destinations, such as Israel, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

Namibia Home to Dune 45, the most photographed sand dune on Earth, and the large, arid Namib Desert, Namibia is one of the least densely populated countries, not just in Africa, but in the world. Overall, Namibia is a low-risk travel destination, but petty crime in urban centres is a concern. Travelling outside of urban centres can be difficult due to the underdeveloped infrastructure. Likewise, roadways commonly flood between January and April. LGBTQ+ travellers should take extreme caution in Namibia, as identifying as a member of the LGBTQ+ community is

We need to make sure we’re having in-depth conversations about what activities travellers are intending to participate in to ensure their insurance covers their activity to know that this breathtaking country has many of the international hotel chains they are familiar with. More authentic options, such as a hotel built directly into the side of a rock, are also available. When packing for a trip to this Muslim country, travellers, particularly women, should bring conservative clothing so as not to offend any locals. Pickpocketing and other opportunistic crime are most common, so travellers should minimise any displays of wealth. Although often carried out without large-scale violence, civil unrest and protests

illegal. Travellers should carry a photo ID at all times and avoid taking pictures of government or military properties, as there have been reports of this being a cause for detainment.

South Africa This scenic country is an ideal destination for those interested in wildlife and extreme sports. Travellers can participate in bungee jumping, ostrich riding, cave exploring and shark cage diving in South Africa, but these activities should be booked through

reputable, highly rated tour companies.

The country is also known for its many internationally ranked wineries. Crime is a serious concern for travellers in the country’s major cities. Taxis and ride-sharing apps should be avoided. Instead, transportation should be pre-arranged through a hotel before arriving in the country, as car jackings along airport roads are major problem.

many policies may not cover more risky activities, policy riders or policies written specifically for their form of activity may need to be offered. By being fully prepared and covered for anything they may encounter, your clients can devote their complete attention to soaking in the once-in-a-lifetime experiences of these unique locales. ■

As members of the global travel assistance and insurance industry, it’s important that we help our clients be as prepared for their travel as possible. While it’s fun to talk to our clients about the exciting excursions and activities they will participate in while travelling, it’s even more important that we make our clients aware of the inherent risks of travelling, as well as those specific to the traveller and his or her destination, and how to mitigate those risks.

We also need to make sure we’re having in-depth conversations about what activities they are intending to participate in to ensure their insurance covers their activity. As

James Howard AIG

James Howard serves as Head of Travel for the UK, Europe and MEA. In this role, he manages the travel business in those regions, identifying opportunities in each market that align with AIG Travel’s strengths and business priorities.

He joined AIG in 2005.

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COMPANY NEWS

BCD Travel introduces corporate travel development hub The global travel management company has officially launched its SolutionSource Developer Hub, a suite of APIs and developer tools that can be used to create tailored corporate travel solutions.

The launch of the developer hub is part of a new phase of BCD Travel’s SolutionSource platform, which it launched in February last year in order to enable clients to access its technology solutions – and those of third parties – and use them in service of corporate clients.

“By investing in application programming interfaces and providing open access to our platform, we eliminate the [biggest] challenge faced by travel technology developers,” commented BCD Travel’s Senior Director of SolutionSource Irina Matz. “Giving developers access to modern tools and technology allows them to build and deliver solutions catered to

“

the specific needs of our customers.”

Via the platform, developers will be able to access various functionalities including shopping and booking, itinerary development and traveller identity information. With BCD’s platform – including its booking repository, policy rules engine and so on – as a basis, users can thus build their own solution on top, creating specialised solutions that are compatible with both client systems and BCD’s processes. In this way, costs can be reduced, traveller experiences hopefully improved, and duty of care responsibilities recognised. The four main pillars addressed, according to BCD, are a focus on the digital traveller experience, simplification of distribution, innovation driven by efficient use of data, and delivery of a genuinely global platform.

“As the corporate travel industry evolves, the technology that supports it also needs

By investing in application programming interfaces and providing open access to our platform, we eliminate the [biggest] challenge faced by travel technology developers

to change,” said Yannis Karmis, BCD’s Senior Vice-President of Product Planning and Development. “The same APIs we use to power our own core solutions – traveller itineraries, shopping and booking, traveller engagement [and so on] – are the ones we are making available to external

consumers, through the Developer Hub.” As well as the Hub, BCD Travel also recently launched digital engagement platform Connect, which was created to drive collaboration between peers through easy access to training materials and key industry information.

India Assist receives Pre-existing medical generous funding for its conditions? Step travel app this way!

Delhi-based India Assist (IA) has raised $1 million for its app in a seed funding round from an undisclosed Silicon Valleybased investor.

The IA app, which is a subscription-based platform available to foreign tourists on both iOS and Android, acts as an intermediary that connects a person in distress with the appropriate agencies. It goes above and beyond the traditional protection offered by travel insurance; where a travel insurance policy will protect against the financial loss of a stolen phone or lost bag, IA will send someone to help customers at the site of the robbery, take them to the police station to help them file a report, and drop them safely at their hotel.

“There is no centralised mechanism to assist and streamline needs of foreign travellers coming to India. In time of need, they approach locals and are likely to get unverified assistance from them. Through IA we are trying to create a centralised mechanism wherein, through a mobile app, they can get best solutions to their queries,” explained India Assist Founder Harish Khatri.

In collaboration with CEGA, AXA has unveiled its Travel Health Calculator tool, developed to give consumers clearer choices about travel insurance.

The Travel Health Calculator was developed by emergency medical assistance firm CEGA. It uses CEGA’s specialist medical screening solution, Antidote, to determine the level of risk dependent on the user’s medical history, and provides ‘thresholds’ for over 3,000 conditions, including asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart problems.

After receiving a report detailing how their medical conditions can affect their travel insurance search, users are then provided with a list of brokers and insurers that specialise in providing the exact cover for their medical needs, or alternatively, directed to price comparison sites if it transpires that their needs are less complex. In this way, the Travel Health Calculator empowers consumers with pre-existing conditions to find the right travel insurance at a suitable price.

Angela Smith, Head of Propositions at CEGA, commented: “The Travel Health Calculator offers consumers with preexisting medical conditions a unique solution to travel insurance uncertainty

IA provides online services in all major cities across the country, with ground assistance services currently only available in New Delhi – although the firm also plans to launch these in other cities by the end of 2019.

Khatri disclosed that the recent $1-million-funding will be used to enhance the user experience though tech innovations, as well as new product offerings, marketing and promotions.

In addition, the startup is setting up business process outsourcing units in order to provide instant solutions to users. “Our aim is to have ground personnel within a five-kilometre radius to be able to provide services top our users travelling within the cities,” said Khatri.

– and we’re thrilled that AXA is leading the way in its implementation. “ Conveniently – and possibly not coincidentally – the launch of the new tool also coincides with the UK Financial Conduct Authority’s current consultation on proposals designed to help consumers with pre-existing medical conditions access travel insurance products more easily. And as AXA previously identified (in its July 2019 research carried out by OnePoll) that around 60 per cent of consumers believe that the responsibility to ensure customers are purchasing the right cover lies with the consumer, the Travel Health Calculator presents a viable solution to an industry-wide problem.

“As insurers, we want to help customers understand their cover options regardless of their previous or existing medical conditions,” said Nel Mooy, Travel Director at AXA Insurance. “While in some scenarios, certain channels such as specialist brokers or underwriters may be more appropriate than others, our aim is to empower travellers so they can find cover that is right for them.

Many people see health as a barrier to finding insurance, but our new tool can help make things that much clearer.”

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Cover Genius raises substantial funding Cover Genius, a global insurtech provider, has raised US$10 million in a Series B funding round Led by Sydney- and California-based venture capital firm King River Capital, the funding will support Cover Genius’ investment in talent and continued global growth across the UK, the US and Asia. The funding round also includes participation by UK-based Jasper Tans, USbased Belfer Family, Australian-based Regal

Funds Management and Marinya Capital.

Speaking on the announcement, Cover Genius CEO and Co-Founder Angus McDonald said: “The insurance industry has been held back by legacy systems and a lack of global co-ordination and customer-centricity for decades.

We sought to change that and create simple, yet useful, policies, streamline the claims process and enable the world’s largest online companies to protect their global customers.”

Cover Genius currently provides regulated insurance policies – which integrate into online point-of-sale and signup path – in more than 60 countries and 50 US states and pays approved claims via its instant payments platform in more than 90 currencies.

“Early on we bootstrapped the company and since then have built a highly profitable global insurtech business in just over five years. This latest round of funding will help us build out our European and Asian

Flight Centre partners with Allianz

Allianz Global Assistance is to deliver travel protection and emergency assistance to customers of Flight Centre Travel Group Americas, through a new partnership.

As of 1 December this year, US customers of the global travel company will gain access to insurance and assistance products and services from Allianz Global Assistance, while Canadian customers will become eligible on 1 January next year. As well as these immediate customer benefits, Flight Centre Travel Group’s advisers will also be able to make use of Allianz Global Assistance’s training programmes, and access dedicated sales support.

Customers of Flight Centre will also have access to Allianz’s free mobile app; through the app, they will be able to make use of a number of travel assistance tools, including a GPS-based accredited hospital locator, a medical dictionary and local emergency services numbers for nearly 200 worldwide destinations.

“Having a like-minded partner with shared values in Flight Centre opens up a world of opportunity to create truly great experiences for our mutual clients. We look forward to working with Flight Centre’s advisors to provide their clients with responsive, caring assistance and comforting reassurance during travel emergencies so they can continue exploring the world with confidence,” said Chris Van Kooten, CEO of Allianz Global Assistance Canada.

operations, bi-coastal US presence, and expand in half a dozen new countries in line with the needs of our global partners and customers,” added McDonald.

MEDFLIGHT

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Setoo offers rainy day protection to campers Insurance and protection-as-a-service company Setoo has teamed up with a European campsite bookings company to offer the first-of-its-kind weather insurance product.

Setoo’s platform uses data from the Global Historical Climatology Network to send immediate, accurate forecasts of rain to customers who have booked through Campings.com, allowing them the opportunity to cancel their trip and receive compensation up to 72 hours in advance of the booking. Compensation is delivered automatically should the customer opt to cancel their trip, cutting out the claims process entirely and making the whole

exchange as streamlined as possible.

The platform utilises machine learning to calculate prices in real time, with specific premiums determined per policy based on the weather patterns of individual campsites and the prevailing conditions surrounding the date of a trip. This means that customers can be promised optimal pricing for the service.

“The weather is an especially important consideration for campers,” said Jerome Mercier, CEO of Campings.com, “who are more exposed to the elements than other holidaymakers. Because of this, we have been searching for a weather protection product for some years before finding exactly what we

needed in Setoo’s rainy day protection. Setoo’s innovative platform will ensure we continue to create a great experience for customers while driving additional business for [our website].”

The product is currently available for European travellers booking camping trips in Italy, Spain and France.

Insurtech Zego, which is based in London, is the first company of its kind in the UK to be granted its own licence.

This represents a major milestone for the company, which will now be able to build and sell its own insurance products.

The insurtech still plans to work closely with its network of partners in the insurance industry, but in practice the license means that the company will be able to create new policies and implement changes to products in 24 hours or less, if necessary. The company will also now be able to develop automated pricing technology based on its vast stores of raw data, analysing the respective risk levels of its customers and offering specific pricing on an individual basis.

Founded in 2016, Zego primarily focuses on building insurance coverage options for the gig economy, though it has also expanded into areas such as ride hailing, ride sharing and car rental. It offers policies of varying lengths, some on a minuteby-minute basis, some on an annual basis, recognising that flexibility is a key requirement for its customer base.

Swiss Re is one of the major insurers backing Zego, and its Market Head for property and casualty in the UK and Ireland, Simon Welton, said: “[We] are very pleased to have been able to support Zego with our risk knowledge and reinsurance capacity. We have been impressed with Zego’s innovative and passionate approach to creating new insurance products which meet the changing needs of customers. We look forward to continuing to work with Zego in the future and supporting its growth plans.”

Earlier this year, Zego raised US$42 million in a Series B funding round, one of the largest such funding rounds for a startup based in Europe.

Flight delays? No problem!

A new partnership between an insurtech and a travel insurance provider will ease the inconvenience of flight delays for travellers Canadian travel insurer TuGo has partnered with Irish insurtech Blink. Blink’s goal is to build data-driven travel disruption insurance solutions, and as such the company has developed TuGo’s MyFlyt service. This complimentary service aims to ease the frustration of flight delays by providing travel insurance customers with access to an airport lounge or cash payout when their flight is delayed for two hours or more. Travellers can register their flight details with MyFlyt and Blink will then monitor the flight in real time.

In the event that the flight is delayed by two hours or more, the traveller is automatically notified via text message and email.

Paul Prendergast, CEO and Co-Founder of Blink, commented on TuGo’s reputation for excellent service and said that Blink looks forward to continuing to enhance TuGo’s travel products with tailor-made travel solutions to improve their customers’ experiences when flights are delayed.

Kathy Starko, TuGo’s Executive Director and Chief Production Officer, also commented on the partnership: “At TuGo, travellers are at the

core of why we do what we do. As a customer centric organisation, we’re constantly looking to improve their experiences, and MyFlyt is a great first step. We can’t give travellers back lost time, but we can give them a place to relax or some cash to keep them busy while they wait out their flight delay.

Instantly and effectively, MyFlyt does just that for our travel insurance customers.”

Blink included in The INSURTECH100 list FinTech Global’s list is a yearly rundown of the insurtech companies that FinTech Global considers the most innovative; the companies that make the list are those that are seen to be doing the most to solve major industry challenges, improving cost savings and driving efficiency. It is selected by a panel of expert industry analysts.

Blink was founded in 2016 as a two-man startup and was bought by CPP Group just six months later. It works primarily within parametric insurance, partnering with insurers and other financial services providers across Europe, Asia and North America, streamlining client offerings into simplified, intuitive services.

Co-Founder Paul Prendergast commented: “We are honoured to be named amongst the best and brightest in the global

Zego awarded insurance licence

insurtech industry. Selected from a pool of more than 1,000 companies and being awarded such recognition makes this a very proud day for us. Three years after we started Blink, we continue to grow at speed, driven by our product innovation, insurance partnerships and our ambition to provide insurtech solutions to end users in every corner of the world.”

The list also includes companies like PremFina Ltd, Anorak, Embroker, Pie Insurance, Shift Technology and Toffee Insurance.

Thinksurance raises millions in funding Insurtech startup Thinksurance, which is based in Frankfurt, Germany, has closed a Series B funding round in which it raised €13 million from Eight Roads Ventures.

Since its founding in 2016, Thinksurance has developed a platform through which insurers and distributors of insurance, including brokers and agents, can digitise the entire process of distribution, from initial consultation to issuing documentation. At present, the startup has partnerships with over 20,000 brokers and other distributors, and ties with the majority of big insurers, offering insurance from over 60 different lines.

It was founded due to a perceived gap in the market – Germany’s commercial

insurance industry alone is worth an estimated €30 billion in annual premiums, but the vast majority of transactions that take place between insurance companies and distributors remain stubbornly manual; Thinksurance’s platform aims to make that process significantly more efficient, reducing manpower and increasing agility and accuracy.

With the new funding in its pocket, the startup plans to double its personnel, expand into a number of new markets and invest in its analytics and distribution platforms in order to improve functionality and improve value for its customers. It will also invest in the development of new

solutions, including enhanced data analytics, portfolio transfer and after-sales processes.

“We are really excited to partner with Eight Roads Ventures, which has shown trust in our team and business model and has an in-depth understanding of our industry,” enthused Florian Brokamp, CEO and Co-Founder of Thinksurance.

“We are in a situation where we do not necessarily need any funding – however, Eight Roads Ventures brings a strong global network and track record of helping companies scale, while enabling management to maintain independent decision-making. Together, we are focused on building a sustainable business for

the long term that will have a positive and transformational effect on our industry.”

Eight Roads Ventures’ Lucile Cornet, meanwhile, praised the ‘bright and ambitious’ startup and its ‘profitable and impressive platform’.

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HSBC UK introduces monthly subscription insurance HSBC Bank in the UK has launched a new flexible insurance product, ‘Select and Cover’, with seven switchable coverage options.

The new proposition was designed in response to increasing public hunger for agile, personalised insurance cover, with HSBC research finding that customers named ‘convenience’ and ‘flexibility’ as their top priorities when purchasing insurance.

Subscription services were also found to be notably more popular than fixed contracts.

Select and Cover allows HSBC’s customers to choose from travel, mobile phone, gadget, home emergency, life, excess protection and motor breakdown insurance – a minimum of three must be selected – beginning at £19.50 per month.

A minimum of three must be maintained at all times, though individual options can be changed over the course of a year, and HSBC advises customers to combine covers in order to reduce the aggregate cost, saving money overall, compared

“

78 per cent of insurance customers would be likely or very likely to take out such a model

with purchasing individual insurance policies for all different aspects of life.

Customers can cancel the policy at any time with no penalty, and policies cover the policyholder, their spouse or partner and their children.

Mark Hussein, CEO of HSBC Insurance UK, said that the subscription model reflected HSBC’s desire to provide customers with innovative new ways to experience its services. “Select and

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Cover complements our existing products by broadening our range, enhancing the speed and convenience of the application process, making insurance more appealing and accessible to customers,” he said. “Its rationale is very much in keeping with our business strategy to improve access to insurance and enhance our digital capabilities.”

Subscription insurance services certainly seem to be increasing in popularity –

Consumer Intelligence carried out a survey last year which found that that 78 per cent of insurance customers would be likely or very likely to take out such a model, and interest in the concept has only increased since then. It will be interesting to see the impact that this sea change has on the industry as a whole.

You can read further in-depth analysis of this topic in this month’s feature (p.30)

GENERAL INSURANCE NEWS

Chartered Insurance Institute serves up fresh SOUP Having launched its own Society of Insurance Broking, the UK’s professional body for insurance and financial planning has launched a new Society of Underwriting Professionals (SOUP).

SOUP has been designed to provide technical advice and support for underwriting professionals, as well as professional developmental support. It will be shepherded

“

headlines around automation and underwriters being under threat. I don’t think that [underwriters will be replaced by machines] but the skills that underwriters use going forward are going to change. There needs to be a place for underwriters to hear about these issues, understand what’s happening within other areas of the business, understand use cases and best practice on how they can

SOUP has been designed to provide technical advice and support for underwriting professionals

by David Williams, Managing Director of Underwriting at AXA Insurance.

“The faculties that had existed up to now had done a good job of creating a forum,” said Philip Williams (no relation), NonExecutive Director of SOUP. “But the launch of the society is more of a professional grouping and that then changes the governance, so it has relevance within the CII. So, I think it’s quite exciting.

“Our membership [is] living through the biggest changes in underwriting potentially ever. That comes through changes in distribution and what underwriters do – there have been scary

change what they are thinking about and how they can enhance their continued professional development to focus on the right things.”

Another of SOUP’s key roles will be to gather member feedback, in order to represent the full spectrum of businesses, and demographics within those businesses.

The board also features Mandy Hunt, RSA’s Chief Underwriting Officer; Janet Edey, Chubb’s Head of Management Liability for the UK and Ireland; Sophie Ezadkhasty, an energy casualty underwriter at Swiss Re; and Karen Shaw, NFU Mutual Insurance’s Head of Commercial Underwriting.

Insurers to help protect World Heritage Sites

In an industry first, a guide for insurers has been launched to protect United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites. These are places considered to have special cultural or physical significance and include Ancient Kyoto in Japan, Lalibela in Ethiopia and the Great Wall of China in … China! ... among others.

Protecting our World Heritage, insuring a sustainable future provides practical guidance on how insurers can prevent or reduce the risk of insuring and investing in companies or projects whose activities could damage World Heritage Sites. These

are largely related to the oil and gas, mining and large-scale hydropower sectors.

The guide is a joint effort between the UN Environment’s Principles for Sustainable Insurance Initiative (PSI), which is the largest collaborative initiative between the UN and the insurance industry, WWF and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

Butch Bacani leads the PSI and was responsible for launching the guide in São Paulo. Commenting on its importance, he said: “Protecting World Heritage Sites for present and future generations is not an option, but an obligation for all. Losing these treasures means losing sources of life,

inspiration and human wellbeing, and losing the war against unsustainable development.”

The guide explains the risks faced by insurers and outlines recommendations that they can implement in their activities. These span the following key areas: accessing data and understanding best practice; raising awareness and supporting widespread action; developing and implementing a World Heritage Sites risk approach; protecting World Heritage Sites proactively; and engaging clients and investee companies. It also includes case studies and a sample risk assessment checklist.

“This guide will help insurers protect our

world’s most prized assets in their risk management, insurance and investment activities, while curbing carbon emissions, building disaster resilience, and ensuring healthy ecosystems,” explained Bacani.

“We call on insurers around the world to unite behind the science, show decisive leadership, and take ambitious action in insuring a sustainable future.”

This is a positive move for the insurance industry and with travel companies and insurers becoming increasingly active in efforts to protect our planet, we stand a chance of preserving the Earth’s beauty for future generations.

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| Insurtech, personal lines and everything inbetween

GENERAL INSURANCE NEWS

Insurtech continues to blossom The new Quarterly InsurTech Briefing from Willis Towers Watson suggests that worldwide investment in insurtech has already surpassed 2018 totals.

Willis Towers Watson’s briefing also noted that, during the third quarter of 2019, funding totals exceeded $1.2 billion, making it the fifth consecutive quarter-year period in which this number was surpassed.

“

compared with the total amount of investment recorded over 2018 – and, of course, the year is not out yet.

“The continuing rise in insurtech investment acknowledges the enormous role technology has to play in our industry, but we need to avoid becoming a sector jaded and frustrated by it,” commented Dr Andrew Johnston, Willis Re’s Global Head of Insurtech. “Today’s insurtech is

The continuing rise in insurtech investment acknowledges the enormous role technology has to play in our industry, but we need to avoid becoming a sector jaded and frustrated by it

Q3 of 2019 saw a total of 83 deals announced, with a total value of $1.5 billion, a rise of six per cent compared with the previous three-month period. The number of deals was up by 20 per cent.

Looking more broadly at the first three quarters of 2019, insurtech companies have seen a total of $4.36 billion funneled into their coffers through 239 transactions, a five-per-cent increase

as much about hype and entrepreneurial culture as it is about appropriate technology for the (re)insurance industry.

“Insurtech’s greatest achievement to date has been to act like a defibrillator on the heart of the insurance industry.

People across the sector now talk more positively about the use of technology. Some see it as the potential saviour of a broken system.”

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Verisk and IFIG announce fraud alert Global data analytics provider Verisk and non-profit fraud prevention and investigation organisation the Insurance Fraud Investigators Group (IFIG) have partnered on the development of an e-alerts platform designed to help detect and prevent insurance fraud, a replacement for IFIG’s legacy system. It will provide quick and easy

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and database monitoring facilities with the addition of granular reporting and an improved data cleansing capability.

“This new platform will enhance both user experiences and operational outcomes,” commented Steve Paton, Head of AntiFraud Services for the EU at Verisk, “and we’re already exploring how to leverage

This new platform will enhance both user experiences and operational outcomes

access to the IFIG’s extensive fraud database for its hundreds of industry partners, and act as the cornerstone of IFIG and its members’ efforts to tackle insurance fraud.

“As a central part of the industry’s efforts against ever-evolving fraud threats, we needed an innovative replacement for our e-alerts system,” said IFIG Chairman Steve Jackson. “Verisk has delivered a solution that addresses all of our recurring pain points and provides a strong, future-proof foundation for IFIG members to continue their excellent, collaborative counter-fraud activities.”

The new platform enables IFIG members to share knowledge, discuss issues surrounding fraud, and easily search, filter and manage information. Verisk has also enhanced both administration

the system’s capabilities with other Verisk solutions. We’re pleased that [our] technology expertise, combined with decades of counterfraud experience, has enabled development of this new solution to bolster IFIG members’ efforts to fight insurance fraud.”

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FEATURE

Insurance

AND chilL

The growth of subscription services Robyn Bainbridge explores how subscription-based insurance is being adopted in today’s market, why it has such a big pull factor, and how this latest trend is likely to develop >>

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asn’t it your overburdened schoolteacher who once said: “Keep it simple, stupid”? Even if they didn’t use those exact words, you’re likely well-acquainted with the concept, the implication being that simplicity is key in system design, as it ensures the greatest levels of user acceptance and engagement.

This also seems to be true when it comes to insurance. For too long, the insurance customer’s narrative has been weighed down with words and phrases like ‘complicated’, ‘expensive’

some forward-thinking individual in your vicinity subscribed to get our wonderfully insightful monthly magazine! There’s no arguing with it, subscription culture is the here and now. In the insurance industry, however, it still seems to be very much in the early stages of adoption.

The birth of subscription insurance In the final throes of 2018, Aviva launched its AvivaPlus pay-monthly car and home insurance. The Aviva team told ITIJ that the new offering boasted greater flexibility, no amendment fees and a renewal price

“The travel insurance industry’s adoption of the subscription model arguably first began to flourish within the banking industry" and ‘last minute’. But now, finally, with a mind to simplify, the market seems to have supplied a solution.

Enter subscription-based travel insurance.

Subscription culture is everywhere; you can’t swing a proverbial cat without hitting a provider offering a subscription service: for a monthly fee, you can get access to a range of films and TV shows that you can binge to your heart’s content; sign up to one of many recipe box delivery services and leave your partner awe-struck as weekly crates of miscellaneous ingredients allow you to become the culinary genius you secretly always knew you could be; or pay a monthly premium and pick up a car whenever the mood takes you without the hassle of actually having to own one.

Indeed, the only reason many of you are reading these words right now is because

guarantee that recognises customer loyalty. Though not travel insurance, the insurance giant’s move into the subscription sphere marked a bold step and is part of what looks to be a great transition for the insurance industry as a whole.

But, in order to look forward, we must first look back. The travel insurance industry’s adoption of the subscription model arguably first began to flourish within the banking industry – the neo banking industry to be precise. These 100-per-cent digital financial institutions soon realised that in order to contend with traditional incumbents, they would have to offer something to their customers that the traditional banking model couldn’t; and so the likes of Monzo and Revolut soon grew their empires through flexible, digital

“Travel insurance startups have also been quick to exploit the subscription model for the flexible approach that it provides" subscription product offerings.

Sunita Apte, Global Sales Director, Financial Institutions at AXA Partners – which partnered with Monzo back in July to provide comprehensive travel insurance to customers with a Monzo Plus account – noted that neo banks have started challenging traditional high-street banks by amassing a wealth of customers in a short time thanks to their innovative and useful features. “Among these engaged users, there is an appetite for subscriptionbased services, including insurance,” she said. “When these services are deemed relevant and of value to this audience, they are included within the banking app.”

She went on to explain that the ‘great thing’ about subscription information is that it’s given in ‘transparent language’: “It ranges from terms and conditions to pretravel certificates, destination information and claims access. Customers can buy on-demand insurance by simply toggling on/off.” And surely nothing could be simpler than swiping to activate your travel insurance? Chalk up one point for the subscription model.

Elsewhere, travel insurance startups have also been quick to exploit the subscription model for the flexible approach that it provides. Launched in 2018, Norwegian travel insurance provider SafetyWing

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“If a travel insurer knows a tourist is booked on a flight that is cancelled, parametric cover will pay out automatically" offers its Nomad Insurance tailored to ‘digital nomads’ on a subscription basis.

“Most of our customers choose to have their insurance renewed automatically every four weeks, just like a subscription,” explained Sam Claassen, Head of Growth at SafetyWing. “However, if you are a single-trip traveller, you can choose any duration of coverage, whether it be a day or a week.” In this way, the travel insurance offering can be conveniently adjusted to suit a customer’s lifestyle. Tally up another point for the subscription model.

Possibly most importantly, the subscription-based insurance model also drastically reduces the number of rejected claims. Aviva explained: “With applicants only needing to confirm a few key pieces of information, the move cuts the average time taken to get a price for new customers who apply for a home insurance quote online directly from Aviva. Crucially, simplifying the process of providing accurate information reduces the risk of a having a home insurance claim rejected.”

That’s trois points for subscriptionbased insurance.

The mechanics “The insurance industry has remained painfully unchanged over decades,” asserted SafetyWing’s Sam Claassen.

“Typically, each country has a different set of rules and regulations that must be worked with.” He explained that a lot of SafetyWing’s product development is focused on working through these issues ahead of time so that its customers don’t have to spend hours or days researching and negotiating insurance options for themselves.

Certainly, there’s a lot of work that goes into creating such a customer-centric business model. Aviva explained that AvivaPlus uses a shortened customer quote-and-buy journey, which removes unnecessary underwriting questions, ending duplication for customers, removing uncertainty, and making it faster and easier for customers to get accurate cover. It provides accurate premiums using information customers have previously provided, as well as other sources, such as Land Registry data, to simplify the quotation process, Aviva told ITIJ: “Customers are informed of the way we use data during the quote journey, through our Privacy Policy and when they register for MyAviva, our digital hub.”

Apte of AXA detailed that the Monzo Plus account uses artificial intelligence driven by natural language processing technology to ensure the user understands the coverage provided and the ways in which to use the product. In addition, she adds, parametric insurance allows the provider to offer compensation without the customer having to contact them or submit a claim. “For instance, if a travel insurer knows a tourist is booked on a flight that is cancelled, parametric

cover will pay out automatically. Video and internet capabilities also enable access to healthcare professionals via digital consultations,” she explained. “Overall, technology-based services are handing back control of the product to the customer.”

Building loyalty However, it’s not just customers that benefit from subscription services. “Historically, insurers have only communicated with customers at point of claim, and customers tend to have a claim only once every few years. In this model, there is little engagement – and few opportunities to build loyalty,” said Apte. "With subscriptionbased services, communications can be more frequent. For instance, a travel insurer can send reminders about an upcoming trip, wellbeing tips for the journey, or health advice about the destination.” She remarked that, overall, retention rates are higher in this business model.

“Brand loyalty has changed in the last 10 years,” Apte explained. “Customers shop around and go online to make up their minds. For example, millennials are less heavily influenced by advertising, but read reviews before they buy.”

No doubt, identifying the needs of a customer base is essential to creating a successful product. Sam Claassen remarked that Nomad Insurance is customtailored to digital nomads – or people who travel and live abroad full time. “Typically,

these people are in their late twenties and early thirties, either working remotely for a company, freelancing or running their own businesses,” he said. “Since this product covers visits home, it’s quite the ideal solution. Oftentimes, these people have standard health insurance back home that doesn’t cover them while travelling.”

By creating a solution for these specific customers, SafetyWing ensured itself an immediate customer base. And the benefits of meeting customers’ needs extend far beyond this. Claassen explained that by providing an insurance product that users want, the company has been seeing extremely high NPS rating responses and customer reviews. “Better yet,” he said, “we

of the travel insurance industry? Are we to see subscription travel insurance options popping up left, right and centre? For now, the full effects of the benefits are still slowly feeding down to the industry as a whole.

But Apte suggests that the rising number of insurtech propositions will allow insurers to meet customers’ demands for tailored and reasonably priced cover – and perhaps this will ultimately lead to a more accessible and holistic consumer service offering.

However, there are still some misgivings about the subscription insurance model.

Stringent data compliance requirements and growing customer privacy regulations are an ongoing challenge for the subscription industry, although AXA’s Apte isn’t so easily

“Overall, technology-based services are handing back control of the product to the customer" are opening up a two-way communication channel between us and our customers.

Through this, we are learning what nomads and global citizens need out of an insurance product. We believe this knowledge will help the entire industry make a shift towards insurance products that people love.”

And this is all part of building brand loyalty.

In fact, it is this sense of trust and loyalty that Aviva believes will propel AvivaPlus to success.

“We hope it will allow us to establish deeper, longer relationships with our customers built on a transparent trust-based straightforward relationship,” the company told ITIJ. The future So what does this all mean for the future

discouraged. She explained that AXA consistently signs off all the elements of the digital customer journey to ensure regulatory transparency and compliance. “Any challenge is trumped by the advantages of engaging with an active customer base,” she added.

Sure, the subscription model may require continuous workflow, but with improved customer retention rates and NPS scores, it’s a small price to pay. And for SafetyWing’s Claassen, this new model of insurance helps ensure that consumers have peace of mind when they travel.

“The subscription model is essential for allowing people to truly be a part of a network and community that will have their back no matter where they go,” he said. ■

33 EDITORIAL SIGN.

IMAGE ED SIGN.

SALES SIGN. 1

EVENTS. SIGN.

IAN SIGN.

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PROFILE order to be sustainable over time. But we nevertheless have to keep on challenging ourselves to innovate and manufacture products in line with customer expectations, and to work with our regulators around our common objective to both meet customer expectations and protect their interests.

THE VOICE OF

EXPERIENCE ITIJ spoke to Jeffrey Rutledge, President and CEO of AIG Travel, about his long and distinguished career, technological advancement, the importance of inclusivity and much more

How did you first get started in the travel insurance industry, and how did you come to be in your current role of President and CEO of AIG Travel?

After working in the airline business for the first 12 years of my career, I knew that I loved travel and wanted to continue working in the travel industry. When the opportunity to work in travel insurance at AIG, one of the largest insurers in the world, presented itself, I knew it would be the chance to stay in travel while also moving into a truly global company.

I started at AIG in 1999, first leading the global e-commerce business development for travel insurance and then managing AIG’s travel business in Asia. In 2006, AIG Travel, Inc. acquired the Travel Guard Group companies, and the global CEO role was offered to me. It was a great opportunity to lead the integration of the numerous investments that AIG had made in travel insurance and technology, going all the way back to when the first policy was sold in Hong Kong in 1937, with the delivery of world-class assistance and claims servicing. But most of all, I saw it as an opportunity, along with our amazing team, to do what I love by helping people restore their journeys every day. And it has been exciting, exhausting and everything in between.

You’ve been with AIG for 20 years now, and have been President and CEO of AIG Travel since 2006 – what are some of the biggest changes that you’ve seen in the industry over that time?

The challenge 20 years ago was the lack of broad consumer awareness and understanding about what the travel insurance product is and how it actually benefits travellers. It’s been encouraging to see consumer awareness increase somewhat around the globe. However, due to the voluntary purchase aspect of our product and differences in healthcare

regimes in origin markets, there is still a broad lack of and divergent understanding of the product with consumers and applicable governing bodies in most jurisdictions. We are still constantly explaining what it is that we do. While it seems very intuitive when you say ‘travel insurance’, it’s not. I would have hoped, as an industry, we would have progressed more in the past 20 years, at least to the point where we have a common and accurate view of the product across all governments and jurisdictions … but I remain hopeful that a common and global awareness will increase at a much faster pace over the next 20 years.

You have written in the past about the importance of harnessing new technology to improve the personalisation of insurance products. Consumer desire for agile, personalised products is only increasing – do you think the industry is meeting their needs?

While we are seeing good examples of innovative products and technologies focused on personalisation emerging across the industry, my personal impatience with our collective progress as an industry is also increasing, which may be a sign of my age! We are an industry that will likely always have to run faster and with more determination than other industries when it comes to bringing innovations to market at the ever-increasing speed of customer expectations. The products that we manufacture, particularly in markets that require filed rates and/or forms, create high barriers to entry and often regulatory mandated adjustments by jurisdictions.

Therefore, it can be challenging for some really great and innovative ideas to find traction at an individual personalised benefit level – or even at a market or on a global scale – because of the limitations inherent in an insurance product that requires an underlying risk pool at scale in

“

What technological advancements do you think will be particularly game-changing for travel insurance over the next few years?

Game-changing technology advancements for the travel insurance industry will likely be centred on those that continue to evolve interconnectivity of all travel systems coupled with a more active utilisation of AI. Travellers expect every supplier that they engage on any journey, including travel insurance products and assistance services, to seamlessly support them by anticipating and resolving their concerns. In order to truly meet those expectations in a meaningful way, it will require a focused industry approach. No single company, market or distribution partner will ever have the capacity to fully meet these expectations globally. Just as we are collectively able to provide emergency medical evacuation services to our customers because of the open networks of air ambulance providers, which have aircraft immediately near where we need for them to be, open sourced technologies and/or ‘non-competitive data’ exchange platforms have the potential to advance our collective industry.

AIG Travel entered into a partnership with Expedia last year. What was the impetus behind this decision? Are there new partnerships of this kind in the pipeline?

We greatly appreciate and value our global partnership with the Expedia Group, as well as all of our travel industry partners.

Integrated travel insurance distribution via online travel agents and airlines has raised consumer awareness of travel insurance on a global basis as millions of travellers are consistently given the opportunity to consider buying travel insurance, a phenomenon which has benefited our entire industry and also increased sales via other distribution channels. We are always talking to potential new partners, and hope to add more flagship brands

AIG Travel was named International Travel / Health Insurer of the Year at this year’s ITIJ Awards. How does it feel to have won this award?

We are truly honoured to receive this recognition for the second time, and we are very grateful to ITIJ for its ongoing advocacy for the industry, bringing everyone together and challenging us all to be better. As we compete with many other companies in our space, we are aware of how critically important it is to work across our industry to increase consumer awareness in every jurisdiction and to work together for a common regulatory framework that meets our common objective to provide value to consumers.

Can you describe a typical day as President and CEO, if there is such a thing?

What I love about my job is that there isn’t a typical day, but every day is interesting and exciting in a different way. I enjoy meeting and spending time with our partners to talk about innovation and how we can further transform the travel insurance space as the world around us changes. The most serious and challenging aspect of my daily work is dealing with the complex regulations that we deal with as an industry, and ensuring that we are able to continue to build and offer the products that travellers need. I also travel hundreds of thousands of miles a year, so the most consistent part of my life is airport security, airline lounges, long-haul flights, seeking the fastest ways through immigration lines and again ending up in baggage

I would have hoped, as an industry, we would have progressed more in the past 20 years … but I remain hopeful that a common and global awareness will increase at a much faster pace over the next 20 years to our partner list in the upcoming year.

There has been much discussion recently about the importance of insurers reaching out to under-served groups, such as those with disabilities.

What is AIG Travel doing to make sure that its offering is inclusive for all?

AIG Travel has been working to reach underserved groups for the past several years, including women, the LGBTQ+ community, students and vulnerable travellers, through our award-winning travel safety campaigns. These campaigns offer tips, tools and guidance that help ensure all travellers are prepared to

34

face any challenges or barriers they may experience while travelling.

In addition, we are always looking for ways to make sure our products are evolving with the needs of our customers. For example, in the US, we now offer the Name Your Family bundle that allows a traveller to name who will be deemed as a family member for the purpose of family-related unforeseen events. The option to name your own family is something that greatly benefits all travellers, but may be especially important to the LGBTQ+ community. There is also a Pet Bundle available, which provides a daily benefit for boarding and medical coverage for illness of a dog or cat while travelling, which would be an extra layer of comfort for those who have service animals.

claim! But that is part of what I love about what I do – engaging in different cultures and spending time with my colleagues around the world who help travellers with minor travel inconveniences and lifethreatening situations each and every day.

If you could invite any three people, from any time in history, to a dream dinner party, who would you choose?

I would invite Marco Polo, Amelia Earhart and Neil Armstrong to dinner. I would ask them to explain what drove them to explore in the first place, why they picked those destinations and where they would want to go on their next journey? ■

Expand your reach in Portugal with a World-Class Private Healthcare Network Hospital da Luz offers greater geographical coverage through the largest healthcare network in Portugal. Additional units in Funchal, Coimbra and Lisbon bring the total size of the network to 24, including 12 general hospitals and 12 multispecialty ambulatory clinics, all with urgent care.

Our experience in working with global insurance and assistance companies guarantees a cost-effective, quality driven solution for international clients through the ease of one multiunit agreement supported by internationally focused relationship managers.

Quality assurances are also growing. Hospital da Luz Lisboa, the largest and best in class private hospital in the country, is now a JCI accredited hospital.

Our International Patient Services provides personalized support throughout the process of care with consideration for the challenges and particular concerns of expats, travelers, evacuation cases, and patients who travel for care.

Delivering excellence and innovation through the integration of patient care, research and advanced training, Hospital da Luz healthcare facilities are committed to moving medicine forward with high-end technology and through a great emphasis on team medicine and multidisciplinary cooperation.

For further information, including advice on how to partner with us, call: +351 213 138 260 or email: intlpatientservices@luzsaude.pt

HOSPITAL DA LUZ NETWORK ÁGUEDA | AMADORA | AMARANTE | AVEIRO | CANIÇO | CANTANHEDE | COIMBRA | ÉVORA | FIGUEIRA DA FOZ | FUNCHAL | GUIMARÃES | LISBOA ODIVELAS | OEIRAS | OIÃ | POMBAL | PORTO | PÓVOA DE VARZIM | SETÚBAL | VILA NOVA DE CERVEIRA | VILA NOVA DE GAIA | VILA REAL

hospitaldaluz.pt

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ON THE MOVE

Jeff Wright Chief Financial Officer

Jim O’Connor Head of Operations

Jeff and Jim join Allianz Partners

Chubb appoints Cairns

Allianz Partners has announced a pair of new appointments.

Jeff Wright has been appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO), succeeding Diane Babson, while Jim O’Connor is now Head of Operations, a new position created as part of the company’s expanding operations division.

With more than 15 years’ experience in the insurance industry, Jeff is well placed to fill the CFO role. He is responsible for driving and implementing the financial business strategy for the Global Travel line of business and the US and Canadian business units.

Chubb has announced the appointment of Grant Cairns as its Head of Property & Casualty for the Asia Pacific region.

He will succeed Jason Keen, who will be taking on the role of Division President at Chubb Global Markets in 2020.

Grant brings over two decades’ experience to his role, having already served as Chubb’s Financial Lines Manager for Australia and its Head of Financial Lines for the

He was previously CFO of the US life insurance division at Genworth Financial, where he led a direct finance and actuarial team of 130 associates.

Jim is equally well suited to his role, with more than 20 years’ experience in the field. He previously worked in the financial services industry, redesigning processes to improve customer experience and reduce complexity and costs. As Head of Operations at Allianz Partners, he is responsible for the strategic planning and execution of operations initiatives that support business objectives.

Asia Pacific. He is currently based in the company’s regional office in Singapore.

“Grant is an astute underwriter who has a strong work ethic and passion for the business,” said Paul McNamee, Chubb’s Regional President for the Asia Pacific region. “I have every confidence in Grant’s leadership of the property and casualty business given his deep technical expertise and global experience.”

First UK CEO for Collinson names Cover-More Group Lawrence Watts as Head named of Insurance Collinson has announced that Lawrence Watts is its new Head of Insurance, responsible for leading growth for its insurance business. Reporting to David Evans, joint CEO, he will lead the company’s insurance strategy, developing travel and health insurance propositions, as well as supporting a recent broadening of Collinson’s underwriting focus into other insurance lines of business.

Since joining Collinson five years ago as Business Development Director for the insurance and assistance divisions, Lawrence has been deeply involved in delivering profitable growth across Collinson’s business lines, as well as

leading a number of the company’s insurance trading lines of business.

David Evans, Joint CEO at Collinson, said: “We are delighted that Lawrence is now leading our insurance division. He is ideally placed to take on this role and to continue our expansion in insurance within and beyond Europe. Lawrence will continue to drive our ongoing strategy to deliver a customer-centric approach across product design, delivery and service provision. His knowledge and expertise will be invaluable in helping us to continue to drive clearer responsibilities and accountabilities and to roll out further some of the exciting new initiatives we have delivered during 2019.”

Alliance International Servicing recruits ex-police detectives International claims administrator Alliance International Servicing has announced the addition of a number of ex-UK Metropolitan Police detectives to bolster its anti-fraud efforts.

The intention is for insurance clients to benefit from the investigative capabilities of former officers, whose training is far in excess of that generally required by insurance bodies.

“As a TPA with high-profile insurance

clients,” said Alliance’s Abhik Sarkar, “[we] take all fraudulent activity seriously, as each bogus claim negatively impacts the industry’s ability to operate and pay out for legitimate claims. The cost to insurance companies’ customers is conservatively estimated at at least 10 per cent per premium. There is also the tragic human cost to those caught up in a life of crime.”

Lawrence Watts Head of Insurance

Global travel insurance, medical and employee assistance provider Cover-More Group has appointed Ernesto Suarez as CEO, UK. The position has been newly created as part of Cover-More’s strategy to expand its travel insurance, rental care insurance and travel services business in the UK. In his new role, Ernesto will be responsible for all aspects of the business, with a focus on accelerating the growth of the Cover-More brand, launching new travel insurance and related services.

“We are thrilled to promote Ernesto into this new role,” said David White, Cover-More CEO, Europe, Middle East and Africa. “He is the ideal leader to grow our UK market presence further. Ernesto founded Halo Insurance in

2009 and his entrepreneurial expertise and in-depth knowledge of this market will be invaluable to support our ambitions of this key market. As a group, we have launched several market-leading innovations to travellers across Asia, Latin America and North America and Ernesto will be embedding these offerings and identifying new opportunities to deliver innovation and value to our customers and partners, as we look to 2020 and beyond.”

On his promotion, Ernesto commented: “I’m delighted to be leading our exceptional UK team into its next phase of growth. As a business we have many exciting opportunities ahead of us, while internally we are developing more innovations to bring to market.”

Sedgwick appoints new managing directors for the UK Sedgwick, a global provider of technologyenabled risk, benefits and integrated business solutions, has appointed Stephen Kerr and Steve Whetter as managing directors for its UK operations.

Stephen will oversee Sedgwick’s home claims services in the UK. He fills the role vacated by Neil Gibson, who Sedgwick recently promoted to UK Chief Operating Officer. Stephen has over 30 years’ experience in the industry and has held a number of senior leadership roles, most recently as Director of Sedgwick’s home specialty team in the UK. In his new role, he will focus on Sedgwick’s delivery of exceptional customer service, supported and enabled by industry-leading technology.

Steve will take over as Managing Director

36

of Sedgwick’s UK third-party administrator.

He replaces Jane Lewis, who is retiring at the end of the year. Steve moves into this role from his current position as Director of Sedgwick’s UK TPA property division.

With his strong experience in claims centre leadership, he brings a strong focus on customer service and operational delivery.

“Stephen and Steve will play key roles in achieving our goals for 2020 and beyond,” said Paul White, who was recently named Sedgwick’s CEO for the UK. “They will ensure that the introduction of new technology supporting our colleagues’ expertise will continue to make claims easier for everyone.

Their strong knowledge and experience in the sector will be vital as we continue to develop these two important areas of our business.”

Stephen Kerr Managing Director

Steve Whetter Managing Director

For all Service Directory enquiries email: sales@itij.com or please call +44 (0) 117 925 5151 (opt. 1)

SERVICE DIRECTORY

ON THE MOVE

AVAILABLE ONLINE - itij.com/servicedirectory

International Travel & Health Insurance Journal

To a p p e a r i n I T I J ’s S e r v i c e D i r e c t o r y, c o n t a c t t h e s a le s t e a m o n + 4 4 ( 0 ) 1 1 7 9 2 5 5 1 5 1

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For all Service Directory enquiries email: sales@itij.com

SERVICE DIRECTORY

or please call +44 (0) 117 925 5151 (opt. 1)

AVAILABLE ONLINE - itij.com/servicedirectory

EMA Global Pte Ltd

Air Ambulance

Sree Ganesh – Operations Team Centuria Medical Makati Unit 2314 Kalayaan Avenue, cor Salamanca, Makati, 1210 Metro Manila, PHILIPPINES

Providers of fixed-wing air ambulance services

tel: +603 2722 6868

email: operations@emaglobal.com.my website: www.emaglobal.com.sg

Flying Doctors Asia

Ace Air & Ambulance (Pvt) Ltd. James Halsted, – Managing Director

Prithpal Singh – CEO , Director

2 Mount Road, Avondale, Harare, ZIMBABWE

A’Posh Bizhub, 1 Yishun Industrial St 1, #08-03, SINGAPORE, 768160

tel: +263 (4) 302 141 tel: +263 (782) 999 901/2/3/4

tel: +65 6483 5412 fax: +65 6734 1338

email: james@ace-ambulance.com website: www.ace-ambulance.com

prithpal@flyingdoctorsasia.com www.flyingdoctorsasia.com

email: website:

Latitude Air Ambulance

AMREF Flying Doctors

Diana Iaquinto – Director Sales & Medical Ops

Dr Bettina Vadera – Medical Director

John C. Munro/Hamilton International Airport, 9300 Airport Rd, Mount Hope, Ontario, L0R 1W0, CANADA tel: +1 289 426 1133 email: 24.7@latitude2009.com website: www.latitude2009.com fax: +1 289 426 1132

Wilson Airport, LangataRoad, PO Box 18617, Nairobi, KENYA tel: +254 20 6000 090 fax: +254 20 344 170

email: website:

emergency@flydoc.org www.flydoc.org

ER24

LifeFlight 24/7 Flight Desk

Peter Elliott – Fixed Wing Operations Manager

Cambridge Manor Office Park, Manor 1, Stone Haven Road, C/o Witkoppen & Stone Haven Roads, Sandton, Paulshof, SOUTH AFRICA tel: +27 (0) 10 205 3100 email: flight@er24.co.za website: www.er24.co.za fax: +27 (0) 866 781 507

PO Box 15166, City East, QLD 4002, AUSTRALIA 24/7 (int): +61 7 5553 5955 +61 7 5553 5965 fax:

Flying Doctors Nigeria

Medic’Air International 每递安国际

Dr Ola Brown – Founder

Dr Li Tao – Medical Director

2nd Floor Quits Aviation Centre, Hangar 1 Along Gate 1, Muritala Muhammad International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, NIGERIA tel: +234 703 509 7761 email: sales@flyingdoctorsnigeria.com website: www.flyingdoctorsnigeria.com tel: +234 706 920 1299

885 Renmin Road, Huaihai China Building, Room 808, 200010 Shanghai, CHINA tel: +86 2163 558289 fax: +86 2163 558285

Medic’Air International

email: operations@medic-air.com website: www.medic-air.com

Medical Rescue

Dr Jean-Philippe MATTEI – Medical Director

Dr Glenn McKay – Managing Director Medical Rescue Group PO Box 642, Varsity Lakes, Level 2, 235 Varsity Parade, Varsity Lakes 4227, AUSTRALIA email: operations@medicalrescue.com.au tel: +61 7 556 25 800 opt. 1 website: www.medicalrescue.com.au

Dar El Bacha - Tizougarine 5, 40000 Marrakech Medina, MOROCCO tel: +212 5 24 38 13 88 fax: +212 524 428 436

operations@medic-air.com www.medic-air.com

email: website:

Universal Air Evac

Medical Wings Dr.Sura Jaidwatee, M.D. – Medical Flight Manager

Shane Marais – General Manager

222 Don Mueang International Airport Office Building 3rd Floor, Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, Sanambin, Don Mueang, Bangkok 10210, THAILAND 24h tel: +662 247 3392 email: m.w@medicalwings.com website: www.medicalwings.com +662 535 4734 fax:

Hanger 104C, Gate C, Lanseria Airport, Lanseria, SOUTH AFRICA tel: +27 11 430 1777

ops@lifeflight.org.au www.LifeFlight.org.au

email: website:

email: website:

rescue@uniairevac.com www.uniairevac.com

Medresponse Ambulance Services

AERO-TOUR TRANSPORT SERVICES

James Bautista – Business Development Manager

Condrado Tomeldan – President

Unit 26-A Rufino Pacific Tower, 6784 Ayala Ave., Makati, Metro Manila, PHILIPPINES +63 921 225 7470 tel: email: ops@medresponse.ph website: www.medresponse.ph 24/7 tel: +63 917 185 9911

AAOP HANGAR DOMESTIC AIRPORT RD COR. MIA RD. PASAY CITY 1301, PHILIPPINES 24hr tel: +63 90 6500 3069 fax: +63 2 8777 2488

email: ops@airambulance.ph website: www.airambulance.ph

CareJet

Orient Air Medical Association (OAMA) Anthony Decoste – President & CEO

Dr. Bay Li – Chief Medical Officer

Level 24 Robinsons Cyberscape Beta, Topaz & Ruby Roads, Ortigas Center, 1605 Pasig City, PHILIPPINES email: tel: +63 2491 8000 website:

No.8 North Building, Qingtian, Haitang District, Sanya, 572013, CHINA +26 898 8898 3120 tel: 24/7 tel: +86 186 1299 9120

ops@carejet.com carejet.com

EDS AVIATION PTE LTD

Eva Kluge – Chief Commercial Officer

66 Seletar Aerospace View, #02-09, SINGAPORE, 797509 email: website:

SIEGERLAND AIRPORT, Werfthalle G1, 57299 Burbach, GERMANY

info@eds-aviation.com www.eds-aviation.com

mob: +49 170 366 4933 24/7 tel: +49 2736 4428 45

EMA Global Pte Ltd

email: website:

e.kluge@air-alliance.de www.air-alliance.de

AIRLEC Air Espace

Dexter Tan – Business Development Director

Paul Tiba – Managing Director

1 Farrer Park Station Road, #15-18, Farrer Park Medical Centre, SINGAPORE 217562 tel: +65 6570 2552 tel: +65 6244 0030

baylee@oama.cn www.oama.cn

Air Alliance Medflight GmbH

Shik – Managing Director

tel: +65 9836 3265 fax: +65 6846 9542

email: website:

email: website:

Rue Caroline Aigle, Aéroport de Bordeaux, 33700 Mérignac Cidex 05 FRANCE dexter@emaglobal.com.sg www.emaglobal.com.sg

24hr tel: +335 56 34 02 14 +335 56 55 98 18 fax

EMA Global Pte Ltd

email: website:

paul.tiba@airlecairespace.com www.airlecairespace.com

Capital Air Ambulance

Jay Bajas – Senior Manager - Operations

Lisa Humphries – Sales DirectorManager

Unit 2314 Centuria Medical Makati, Century City, Kalayaan Ave. cor.

Salamanca St. Brgy. Poblacion, Makati City - 1210, PHILIPPINES

Airport House, Exeter International Airport, EX5 2BD, UK

24hr tel: +63 (02) 555 5228 fax: +63 (02) 863 0650

tel: +44 845 055 2828 fax: +44 1392 350 039

email: jay@emaglobal.com.ph website: www.emaglobal.com.sg

38

email: sales@capitalairambulance.co.uk website: www.capitalairambulance.co.uk

For all Service Directory enquiries email: sales@itij.com

SERVICE DIRECTORY

or please call +44 (0) 117 925 5151 (opt. 1)

AVAILABLE ONLINE - itij.com/servicedirectory

Swiss Air-Ambulance Ltd. Rega

Air Ambulance

Wolfgang Seeger – Customer Relationship Manager Rega-Center, PO Box 1414, CH-8058 Zurich, SWITZERLAND tel: +41 44 654 33 11 fax: +41 44 654 33 22

Providers of fixed-wing air ambulance services

Mr Nick Simon – Business Development Manager

Manfred Helldoppler – Managing Director

Funtington Park, Funtington, Chichester, UK, PO18 8RG, UK

Fuerstenweg 180, A-6026 Innsbruck-Airport, AUSTRIA

tel: + 44 (0) 1243 621 107 fax: + 44 (0) 1243 621 006

tel: +43 512 22422 100 tel: +43 512 288 888

email: privaterepats@cegagroup.com website: cegagroup.com

DRF Luftrettung / German Air Rescue Rita-Maiburg-Str. 2, D-70794 Filderstadt, GERMANY 24h tel: +49 711 7007 3010 fax: +49 711 7007 3119

email: website:

taa@taa.at www.taa.at

Get Listed Now

Dr. Peter Huber – CEO German Air Rescue

wolfgang.seeger@rega.ch www.rega.ch

Tyrol Air Ambulance

CEGA Group

German Air Rescue – Claim-Variante rot / schwarz

email: website:

sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

email: ops@drf-luftrettung.de website: www.drf-luftrettung.de/air-ambulance

AC Global Air Ambulance

DRK Assistance Andreas Speich – Managing Director

AC

Milan Floribus – Vice President

GLOBAL

8775 Aero Drive, Suite 120, San Diego, CA 92123, USA moc@drkassistance.com www.drkassistance.com

email: website:

AI

tel: +49 211 301 805-0 fax: +49 211 301 805-21

R

CE

Aufm Hennekamp 71, 40225 Düsseldorf, GERMANY AMBULAN

tel: +263 (4) 302 141 fax: +1 858 408 7856

email: acglobalmedicaltransports@gmail.com website: acglobalmedicaltransports.com

Aeromedevac Air Ambulance

European Air Ambulance

Adam Williams – President

Patrick Schomaker – Director Sales & Marketing

1860 Joe Crosson Drive, Hangar I, El Cajon, CA 92020, USA

Luxembourg Airport, B.P.24, L-5201, Sandweiler, LUXEMBOURG 24hr tel: +352 26 26 00 +352 26 26 01 fax:

toll free: +1 619 284 7910 +1 619 284 7918 fax:

alert@air-ambulance.com www.air-ambulance.com

email: website:

email: website:

ops@aeromedevac.com www.aeromedevac.com

AirEvac International

FAI – rent-a-jet AG Volker Lemke – Director Ambulance Division, CSO

Raul Mendoza – President / CEO

Flughafenstasse. 124; 90411 Nuremberg; GERMANY

3404 Bonita Rd, Chula Vista, Ca. 91910, USA

tel: +49 911 36009 31 fax: +49 911 36009 59

email: website:

tel: +1 619 754-6755 fax: +1 619 330 4551

Volker.lemke@fai.ag www.fai.ag

email: website:

info@aeiamericas.com www.aeiamericas.com

CEGA Group

Jet Executive International Charter

Mr Nick Simon – Business Development Manager

Irena Dimitrijevic – Marketing & Sales Mündelheimer Weg 50, D-40472, Düsseldorf, GERMANY “Homebase FRA & MUC” tel: +49 211 602 7775 email: sales@jetexecutive.com website: www.jetexecutive.com fax: +49 211 602 77766

Funtington Park, Funtington, Chichester, UK, PO18 8RG, UK tel: + 44 (0) 1243 621 107 fax: + 44 (0) 1243 621 006

email: privaterepats@cegagroup.com website: cegagroup.com

Global Jetcare, Inc.

JOIN JET Kristian Walter Hoeg – Business Development Manager

Bart Gray – President

Cumulusvej 10, 7190 Billund, DENMARK

15421 Technology Dr. Brooksville, FL 34604, USA

24hr tel: fax:

+45 701 040 90 +45 701 040 90

email: website:

tel: +1 352 799 7771 fax: +1 352 799 7776

ems@joinjet.com www.joinjet.com

email: website:

JET ICU

Malteser Service Center Johannes Hoischen – International Network and Repatriation

Mike Honeycutt – President

Erna-Scheffler-Strasse 2, 51103 Köln, GERMANY

2561 Rescue Way, Brooksville, FL 34604, USA

tel: +49 221 98 22 9333 fax: +49 40 694597 61339

bart@globaljetcare.com www.globaljetcare.com

email: website:

tel: +1 352 796 2540 fax: +1 352 796 2549

ambulance@malteser.org www.malteser-service-center.de

email: website:

Jet-Rescue Air Ambulance

Medic’Air International Dr Herve Raffin – General Manager

Carlos Salinas – CEO

35 rue Jules Ferry, 93170 Bagnolet, Paris, FRANCE

Suite 100, 7777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33434, USA

tel: +33 141 72 1414 fax: +33 148 57 1010

email: website:

operations@medic-air.com www.medic-air.com

tel: +1 786 619 1268

Diana Iaquinto – Director Sales & Medical Ops

Jesper Kragelund – Sales Manager

John C. Munro/Hamilton International Airport, 9300 Airport Rd, Mount Hope, Ontario, L0R 1W0, CANADA tel: +1 289 426 1133 email: 24.7@latitude2009.com website: www.latitude2009.com fax: +1 289 426 1132

North Flying Terminal, Aalborg Airport, DK-9400, Nørresundby, DENMARK tel: +45 9632 2900 fax: +45 9632 2909

email: operations@jet-rescue.com website: www.medjetsUSA.com

Latitude Air Ambulance

North Flying a/s

email: jkr@northflying.com website: www.northflying.com

Quick Air Jet Charter GmbH

Skyalta

Philipp Schneider – Account Manager

David Ewing – Executive Vice-President, Global Markets Montreal/PE Trudeau Int Airport, 9025 Avenue Ryan, Montreal (Quebec), H9P 1A2, CANADA tel: +1 514 497 7000 email: alert@sky-alta.com website: www.sky-alta.com fax: +1 514 636 0096

Hangar 3, Cologne Airport, 51147 Cologne, GERMANY tel: +49 2203 955 700 fax: +49 2203 955 7020

ops@jeticu.com www.jeticu.com

email: website:

ops@quickair.de www.quickair.de

39

For all Service Directory enquiries email: sales@itij.com

SERVICE DIRECTORY

or please call +44 (0) 117 925 5151 (opt. 1)

Asian Travel And Medical Services

Get Listed Now

Rahul Gupta – Sr. Manager - International Business 131/1, PICNIC GARDEN ROAD, KOLKATA - 700039, INDIA

sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

tel: +91-9836309173 fax: +91 033-23440170

rahul.gupta@asiantms.com www.asiantms.com

email: website:

BrightCare Assist

Brasil Vida S O U T H

AVAILABLE ONLINE - itij.com/servicedirectory

João Paulo Silva – Air Ambulance Account Executive

Gloria Lee Carmen V. Matti – CEO

Av. Santos Dumont, Hangares Norte, Hangar Brasil Vida - Setor Santa Genoveva 74.672-420 Goiânia - Go, BRAZIL 24/7 tel: +55 62 3207 5566 email: fretamento@brasilvida.com.br website: www.brasilvida.com.br 24/7 mob: +55 62 9997 15370

Unit 10-1, Fort Legend Tower, 31st Street corner 3rd Avenue, Bonifacio Global City Taguig, 1632, PHILIPPINES tel: (+632) 785-0055 email: ops@brightcare-assist.com website: www.brightcare-assist.com fax: (+632) 224-4152

CareJet

Helidosa Aviation Group Karla Vinas – Air Ambulance account Executive

Anthony Decoste – President

Hangar 1, 10 & 14 La Isabela Airport, Santo Domingo, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC email: tel: +18293457219 website:

Level 24 Robinsons Cyberscape Beta, Topaz & Ruby Roads, Ortigas Center, 1605 Pasig City, PHILIPPINES k.vinas@helidosa.com www.helidosa.com

Wilson Chan – CEO 7/F Unit 702, 58 Changliu Road, Zendai Cube Edifice, Pudong, Shanghai, 200135, CHINA email: ops-shanghai@covermore.com.cn tel: +86 21 12591222 website: www.covermore.com.cn

Providers of assistance services for the global travel and health insurance industry, including travel, medical and security assistance and repatriation services

AIMS

Get Listed Now

Bernadette Breton – Chief Executive Officer AIMS House, 3 West St, Bryanston 2191, Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA

sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

email: operations@aims.org.za website: www.aims.org.za

EMA Global Pte Ltd

AMREF Flying Doctors

Dexter Tan – Business Development Director

Dr Bettina Vadera – Medical Director

1 Farrer Park Station Road, #15-18, Farrer Park Medical Centre, 217562, SINGAPORE tel: +65 6570 2552 email: website: tel: +65 6244 0030

Wilson Airport, LangataRoad, PO Box 18617, Nairobi, KENYA tel: +254 20 6000 090 fax: +254 20 344 170

emergency@flydoc.org www.flydoc.org

email: website:

CONNEX Assistance

dexter@emaglobal.com.sg www.emaglobal.com.sg

EMA Global Pte Ltd

Dr Helmy El Tanahy – CEO

Jay Bajas – Senior Manager - Operations Unit 2314 Centuria Medical Makati, Century City, Kalayaan Ave. cor.

Salamanca St. Brgy. Poblacion, Makati City - 1210, PHILIPPINES

Office 11, Floor 1, 6 El Sad El Aali st, Dokki, Cairo, EGYPT tel: +202 3 336 0005 fax: +202 3 762 0003

ops@carejet.com carejet.com

Covermore Assistance Online

Assistance Companies

tel: +27 11 783 0135 fax: +27 11 783 2950

email: website:

tel: +63 2491 8000

email: website:

alarm@connexassistance.com www.connexassistance.com

24hr tel: +63 (02) 555 5228 fax: +63 (02) 863 0650

AA International Indonesia

email: website:

jay@emaglobal.com.ph www.emaglobal.com.sg

EMA Global Pte Ltd

Brandon Heng – CEO

Sree Ganesh – Operations Team

Tifa Building, 10th Floor, No.1003, Jl. Kuningan Barat 1 No. 26, Mampang Prapatan, Jakarta 12710, INDONESIA

Centuria Medical Makati Unit 2314 Kalayaan Avenue, cor Salamanca, Makati, 1210 Metro Manila, PHILIPPINES

tel: +62 21 2927 9600 24/7: ops-jakarta@aa-international.co.id

tel: +603 2722 6868

email: marketing@aa-international.co.id website: www.aa-international.co.id

email: operations@emaglobal.com.my website: www.emaglobal.com.sg

Emergency Assistance Japan

AIG Travel Martin Villarino – General Manager, AIG Travel Asia Pacific

Takaaki Chiyo – Executive Officer, Head of Network Division

Level 15 Menara Worldwide, 198 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA tel: +603 2772 5555 email: website: fax: +603 2685 5673

NRK Koishikawa Bldg., 1-21-14 Koishikawa, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-0002, JAPAN martin.villarino@aig.com aig.com/travel

tel: +81-(0)3-3811-7520 fax: +81-(0)3-3811-7511

network@emergency.co.jp emergency.co.jp/english

Global Assistance & Healthcare

AP Companies KAZAKHSTAN

Alain Durand – President Director

Elmira Turmagambetova – General Manager

Cibis Nine, 5th Fl, Jalan TB. Simatupang No. 2, Cilandak – Pasar Minggu, Jakarta 12560, INDONESIA tel: +62 21 299 78 999 email: global@global-assistance.net website: www.global-assistance.net fax: +62 21 299 78 9555/66

4, 148 Mamir, Auzovskiy region, Almati, KAZAKHSTAN tel: + 7 727 350 52 76

email: website:

email: KZT@ap-companies.com website: www.ap-companies.com

AP Companies UZBEKISTAN

Global Assistance Partners Co.,Ltd.

Ilhom Sadikov – Business Development Manager

Gna KH CHUNG – CEO

4a, Uzumzor street, Ulukbek region,Tashkent, UZBEKISTAN

412 Vabien III, 86, TongIl-ro,Jung-gu, Seoul 04517, REPUBLIC OF KOREA

tel: +9 987 123 890 41

email: website:

uzb@ap-companies.com www.ap-companies.com

tel: +82 1670 0722 fax: +82 2 720 8839

email: website:

operations@globalassistance.co.kr www.globalassistance.co.kr

Global Doctor China

Get Listed Now

Regina Zheng – Operations Manager Suite 306, Building 8 Bai Huan Jia yuan / No.66 Yuan, Guangqu Road,Chaoyang District, Beijing, Post Code 100022, CHINA tel: +86 10 5815 1188 Ext. 812 email: regina@globaldoctor.com.au website: www.globaldoctor.com.au fax: +86 10 8775 9138

sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

40

For all Service Directory enquiries email: sales@itij.com

SERVICE DIRECTORY

or please call +44 (0) 117 925 5151 (opt. 1)

AVAILABLE ONLINE - itij.com/servicedirectory

Athens Assistance

Assistance Companies

Dr. Dimitris Koliniatis – CEO

Bouboulinas 20, TK 185 35, Piraeus, Athens, GREECE Providers of assistance services for the global travel and health insurance industry, including travel, medical and security assistance and repatriation services

tel: +30 210 4296 631 fax: +30 210 4296 661

Global MediCALL Assistance

email: operations@athensassistance.gr website: www.athensassistance.gr

Au International Service / Assist Ukraine

Sridhar K – Chief Operations Officer

Andrey ZIMIN – Director

MALAYSIA - www.globalmedicallassistance.com

Str. Sholudenko 3, 04116 Kiev, UKRAINE

tel: +6 03 3359 6969 fax: +6 03 3359 6161

tel: +38044 251 28 11

email: email

marketing@globalmedicallassistance.com ops@globalmedicallassistance.com

MEDIKA PLAZA

assist@assist-ukraine.com assist-ukraine.com

Get Listed Now

Dr Nino Susanto – Operational Director Beltway Office Park Tower C 2nd floor Jl. TB Simatupang Kav. 41, Jakarta 12550, INDONESIA email: med.assistance@medikaplaza.com tel: +6221 80866000 website: www.medikaplaza.com

sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

Orient Air Medical Association (OAMA)

BMC HEALTH SOLUTIONS 24HR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE Antonio Magliocca – Medical Director

Connie Zhang – Medical Network Manager No.8 North Building, Qingtian, Haitang District, Sanya, 572013, CHINA +86 898 8898 3120 tel: 24/7 tel: +86 180 1646 1628

email: website:

email: website:

Via del pozzo 30, Monteriggioni, 53100, Siena, ITALY 24hr tel: +39 0823 966 694 +39 0823 966 694 fax:

operation@oama.cn www.oama.cn

ADAC Ambulance Service

email: website:

info@assistenzamedicah24.it www.medicalassistanceh24.com

CNAS

Christoph Ullrich – Senior Manager International Network

Carole Luisy – Managing Director

Hansastr. 19, D - 80686 Munich, GERMANY

80 Rue des Alliés, 38100, Grenoble, FRANCE

tel: +49 897 676 29 12 mob: +49 171 555 29 12

tel: +33 438 49 83 49 fax: +33 438 49 83 40

email: christoph.ullrich@adac.de website: www.adac.de/ambulance

email: website:

carole.luisy@cnas-assistance.com www.cnas-assistance.com

DRF Luftrettung / German Air Rescue

Get Listed Now

Dr. Peter Huber – CEO

German Air Rescue – Claim-Variante rot / schwarz

Rita-Maiburg-Str. 2, D-70794 Filderstadt, GERMANY

sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

German Air Rescue

24h tel: +49 711 7007 3010 fax: +49 711 7007 3119

email: ops@drf-luftrettung.de website: www.drf-luftrettung.de/air-ambulance

DRK Assistance

AIG Travel

Andreas Speich – Managing Director

Sally Waithe – General Manager, AIG Travel EMEA 21 Cecil Pashley Way, Shoreham Airport, Shoreham-By-Sea, West Sussex, BN43 5FF, UK email: sally.waithe@aig.com tel: +44 (0)1273 456 484 website: aig.com/travel

Aufm Hennekamp 71, 40225 Düsseldorf, GERMANY tel: +49 (211) 301 805 0 fax: +49 (211) 301 805 21

email: website:

moc@drkassistance.de www.drkassistance.com

EgyCross Assistance

AP Companies Natalya Butakova – Business Development Manager

Dr. Hany Benyamen – CEO

17 Varshavskoye Shosse, Moscow 117105, RUSSIA

Av. del General Perón, 25 . Planta 10 F, 28020 Madrid, SPAIN

tel: +7 495 989 1120 fax: +7 495 989 1130

email: website:

natalya@ap-companies.ru www.ap-companies.ru

tel: +34 910 602 414 tel: +20 100 6222 910

ecanetwork@egycross-assistance.com www.egycross-europe.com

email: website:

Eurocross Turkeya

Get Listed Now

Mehtap Baylam Akkaya – CEO Altunizade Mahallesi, Ord. Prof. Fahrettin Kerim Gökay Caddesi, Eşref Çakmak Plaza, No:32 Kat:3 34662 Üsküdar, İstanbul, TURKEY tel: +90 216 265 15 25 email: int@eurocrossturkey.com.tr website: www.eurocrossturkey.com.tr fax: +90 216 265 15 65

sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

Argos Assistance Srl

Global Assistance a.s.

Marco Rinalducci – Claims & Administration Director

Ing. Marek Jaroš – General Manager

Via Torino, 2 20123 Milano, ITALY

Dopraváku 749/3, 18400 Prague 8, CZECH REPUBLIC

tel: +39 027 254 6325 fax: +39 069 933 5053

email: website:

operations@argosassistance.com www.argosassistance.com

tel: +420 266 799 770 fax: +420 266 799 797

Argos Assistance Srl

email: ops@1220.cz website: www.1220.cz

Global Voyager Assistance - Black Sea

Marco Rinalducci – Claims & Administration Director

Oxana Razorenova – General Manager

Carrer de Villarroel, 216, SPAIN

77-79 Nezhinskaya Str., 65023, Odessa, UKRAINE

tel: +34 932 936 127

email: website:

operations@argosassistance.com www.argosassistance.com

tel: +38 048 7373 441 fax: +38 048 7373 442

Argos Assistance Srl

gmbs@gvassistance.com www.gvassistance.com

Global Voyager Assistance - Russia Costas Danilenko – CEO

Marco Rinalducci – Claims & Administration Director

3B Rue Taylor, 75010 Paris, FRANCE tel: +33 176 542152

email: website:

email: website:

PO Box II, 125124 Moscow, RUSSIA tel: +7 495 775 0999 fax: +7 495 775 0998

operations@argosassistance.com www.argosassistance.com

41

email: website:

cdanilenko@gvassistance.com www.gvassistance.com

For all Service Directory enquiries email: sales@itij.com

SERVICE DIRECTORY

or please call +44 (0) 117 925 5151 (opt. 1)

Interamerican Assistance S.A.

AVAILABLE ONLINE - itij.com/servicedirectory

Active Care Management

Inez Tissink – Coordinator International Activities

Paul Schlosser – Client Relationship Manager

Syngrou Avenue 350,17680 Kallithea, Athens, GREECE

3430 Wheelotn Drive, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 5A7, CANADA

tel: (+30) 210 94 61 750 fax: (+30) 210 94 61 004

email: website:

tissinki@interamerican.gr www.interamerican.gr

email: pschlosser@active-care.ca website: www.active-care.ca

tel: +519 945 8256 ext.1111 fax: +519 251 5165

Malteser Service Center

AIG Travel

Johannes Hoischen – International Network and Repatriation

Jim Koziol – General Manager, North America

Erna-Scheffler-Strasse 2, 51103 Köln, GERMANY

3330 Business Park Drive, Stevens Point WI 54482, USA

tel: +49 221 98 22 9333 fax: +49 40 694597 61339

ambulance@malteser.org www.malteser-service-center.de

email: website:

email: website:

tel: +1 715 295 9105

Marm Assistance

jim.koziol@aig.com aig.com/travel

ASSIST CARD

Hamdi Inan – CEO

Federico Tarling – Chief Service Officer ASSIST-CARD Building, 175 South West 7th Street, Suite 2407, Miami, FL 33130, USA tel: +1 305 381 9959/69 email: federico.tarling@assistcard.com website: www.assistcard.com toll free: +1 800 874 2223

AirPort Plaza, Ankara Caddesi, No:486, Kurtkoy 34912, Istanbul, TURKEY tel: +90 216 560 07 24 fax: +90 216 560 07 07

email: website:

marm@marm.com.tr www.marmassistance.com

AXA Partners US

Medicall AG Markus Detel – Manager International Network

Simon Jackson – Chief Commercial Officer

Zurichstrasse 38, CH-8306 Bruttisellen, SWITZERLAND

122 South Michigan Ave, Suite 1100, Chicago, IL 60603, USA

email: mservices@medicall.ch website: www.medicall.ch

tel: +41 44 655 16 67

simon.jackson@axa-assistance.us www.axa-assistance.us

email: website:

tel: +1 312 935 1771

CanAssistance

National Health Service LLC

Patrick Collette – Business Development Director

Dr. Ashfaq Rizvi – Financial Director

1981 Avenue McGill College, Bureau 400, Montreal (QC) H3A 2W9, CANADA

101000 Russia, Moscow, Potapovsky lane 5-2, RUSSIA tel: +7 (495) 374-88-24 fax: +7 (495) 374-88-24

email: website:

drrizvi@nhsassist.ru www.nhsassist.ru

tel: +1 514 286 8354 fax: +1 833 286 8354

email: patrick.collette@canassistance.com website: www.canassistance.com

GORAL ASSISTANCE CANADA INC.

Save Assistance France

David Ohayon – Local Manager

Thomas Blanchet – Key Account Manager / Responsable Grands Comptes 6 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, Le Campus, Bat. B1, 78180 Montigny-Le-Bretonneux., FRANCE +33 (0)13062 6752 tel: email: website: 24h tel: +33 (0)13062 1122

2155 Vincent St, Montreal, QC H4M 1M6, CANADA tel: +1 514 448 1343 fax: +1 514 448 1835

blanchet@saveassistance.com www.saveassistance.com

Savitar Group Ltd.

info@goralassist.ca www.goralassist.com

email: website:

MDabraod

Maria Berkova – General Manager

Ignacio C. Marquez – COO

3rd floor, entrance #4, 20/3 Bolshoy Karetniy lane, Moscow, 127051, RUSSIA tel: +7 495 987 1775 email: svg@savitar-gr.com website: www.savitar-gr.com fax: +7 495 987 1776

2999 NE 191st Street, Suite 608, Aventura, Florida, USA tel: +1 (786) 475-5475 fax: +1 718 847 0533

Semesur

email: website:

operations@mdabroad.com www.mdabroad.com

SunMed International, LLC Eugenio Crenes – General Manager

Dra. Kinyi Haber – Medical Director. VP International Operation

Paseo de la Castellana 18, 7ª Planta, 28046 Madrid, SPAIN

2000 NW 89th Place. Miami FL 33172, USA

tel: +34 911 010 470 fax: +34 902 001 410

tel: +1 786 888 6792 fax: +1 786 551 0763

email: info@semesur.com website: www.tangiersinternational.com

Tangiers International

email: email

khaber@sunmedint.net www.sunmedint.net

TMCA Group Corp

Carlos Hernandez – Managing Director

Crystal Wharton – President

54 Melita Street, Valetta, VLT 1122, MALTA

217 Broadway Suite 608, New York, New York 10007, USA

tel: +356 277 800 16 fax: +356 272 055 00

email: website:

tel: +1 646 398 9021 fax: +1 646 398 9025

chernandez@tangiersinternational.com

www.tangiersinternational.com

email: Crystal@tmcatravel.com website: www.tmcatravel.com

Logimedex

TBS Team 24 d.o.o Edvard Hojnik – General Manger

Dr. Angel Barba – COO

CROATIA, SLOVENIA, SERBIA, MNE, BH, KOS, MAC

Calle 5 de Febrero #135 , La Paz, BCS , CP 23060, MEXICO

tel: +386 2 616 5837 fax: +386 2 618 5800

email: website:

opsmed@tbs-team24.com www. tbs-team24.com

tel: 0052 6121 244 357 fax: 0052 6121 244 357

email: assistance24@logimedex.com website: www.logimedex.com

CONNEX Assistance JLT

Get Listed Now

Lara Helmi – International Network Director #204 Gold Crest Executive Tower, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES tel: +97 14 368 36 25 email: dubai@connexassistance.com website: www.connexassistance.com fax: +97 14 420 49 12

sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

Eagle Assistance International

Tyrol Air Ambulance Manfred Helldoppler – Managing Director

Ossama Trambley – Chairman

Fuerstenweg 180, A-6026 Innsbruck-Airport, AUSTRIA

38 Dr Mohammed Ali Al Baqli, El-Nozha, Cairo Governorate, EGYPT

tel: +43 512 22422 100 fax: +43 512 288 888

email: website:

tel: email: tel:

taa@taa.at www.taa.at

42

+20 122 216 1133 Trambley@eagleassistance.com +20 120 242 4444

Marcos Morgan – Founder & CEO tel: email: website:

+20 127 373 1478 Marcos@eagleassistance.com www.eagleassistance.com

For all Service Directory enquiries email: sales@itij.com

SERVICE DIRECTORY

or please call +44 (0) 117 925 5151 (opt. 1)

AVAILABLE ONLINE - itij.com/servicedirectory

Get Listed Now

Assistance Companies

sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

Providers of assistance services for the global travel and health insurance industry, including travel, medical and security assistance and repatriation services

Fakeeh International

Claims Management

Dr. Fatih Mehmet GUL – Executive Director Palestine Street, Al Hamra District P.O. Box 2537 21461, JEDDAH/SAUDI ARABIA email: ops@fakeehinternational.com tel: +966 12 6603080 website: www.fakeehinternational.com

Companies offering specialist third-party claims management, case management, advice and assistance

Eurocross Turkey

GORAL ASSISTANCE LTD

Mehtap Baylam Akkaya – CEO

Marcel Kadoche – International Network and Development Manager

Altunizade Mahallesi, Ord. Prof. Fahrettin Kerim Gökay Caddesi, Eşref Çakmak Plaza, No:32 Kat:3 34662 Üsküdar, İstanbul, TURKEY tel: +90 216 265 15 25 email: int@eurocrossturkey.com.tr website: www.eurocrossturkey.com.tr fax: +90 216 265 15 65

Maskit 27 str. Herzeliya Industrial Park 46733, ISRAEL tel: +972 9 9579930 fax: +972 9 9579931

email: info@goralassist.com website: www.goralassist.com

IRAN ASSISTANCE

Global Assistance & Healthcare

Ashkan Lahiji – International Network Manager

Alain Durand – President Director Cibis Nine, 5th Fl, Jalan TB. Simatupang No. 2, Cilandak – Pasar Minggu, Jakarta 12560, INDONESIA tel: +62 21 299 78 999 email: global@global-assistance.net website: www.global-assistance.net fax: +62 21 299 78 9555/66

No 24,SOS building,15th Street, Gandi Avenue, Tehran,15175, IRAN tel: +98-21-88648620 - 24 fax: +98-21-88648502

email: website:

operation@iranassistance.com www.iranassistance.com

LGA ASSISTANCE DUBAI

Claims at TuGo

Dr. Ahmed Monir – CEO

Taka Katsube – Director Assistance & Cost Managment 10th Floor, 6081 No.3 Road, Richmond, BC V6Y 2B2, CANADA

Al Salam Tower, Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES tel: +971 7 243 2078 mob: +971 52 758 1032

email: website:

tel: +1 604 303 2113 fax: +1 604 276 4593

dr.ahmed@lgadubai.com www.lgadubai.com

email: website:

Global Excel Management

Marm Assistance Hamdi Inan – CEO

John Spears – VP Business Development & Marketing

AirPort Plaza, Ankara Caddesi, No:486, Kurtkoy 34912, Istanbul, TURKEY

73 Queen St, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 0C9, CANADA

tel: +90 216 560 07 24 fax: +90 216 560 07 07

tkat@tugo.com www.tugo.com

email: website:

marm@marm.com.tr www.marmassistance.com

tel: fax:

+1 819 566 8833 +1 819 566 8447

email: website:

corpinfo@globalexcel.com www.globalexcel.com

New Frontier Group

Swan International Assistance – Mutual Care Mr. Joseph Akiki – CEO

Gitte Bach – President and CEO

P.O. Box 2265 Jounieh, LEBANON

1024 Bayside Drive, Suite 144, Newport Beach, California, 92660-7462, USA

tel 24/7: +961 9 224 008/009 +961 9 224 010 fax:

email: website:

request@swanassistance.com www.swanassistance.com

tel: +1 949 429 7130 fax: +1 949 666 6520

email: Bach@NewFrontierGroup.com website: www.newfrontiergroup.com

Star Healthcare Network, Inc.

Catastrophic Claims Specialists

Gigi Galen Grobstein – President 120 Bloomingdale Road, Suite #304, White Plains, NY 10605, USA tel: + 1 914 358 9121 fax: + 1 914 358 9206

Specialist management of high-cost claims, particularly medical

Ggalen@starhealthcarenet.com www.starhealthcarenet.com

World Medical Management Solutions

Global Excel Management

Holger Camacho – President and CEO

John Spears – VP Business Development & Marketing

1380 NE Miami Gardens Drive, Suite 220, North Miami Beach, FL 33179, USA tel: +1 305 692 9009 ext. 219 email: hc@wmmsolutions.com website: www.wmmsolutions.com fax: +1 305 501 4220

73 Queen St, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 0C9, CANADA tel: +1 819 566 8833 fax: +1 819 566 8447

email: website:

email: corpinfo@globalexcel.com website: www.globalexcel.com

New Frontier Group

Get Listed Now

Gitte Bach – President and CEO 1024 Bayside Drive, Suite 144, Newport Beach, California, 92660-7462, USA tel: +1 949 429 7130 email: Bach@NewFrontierGroup.com website: www.newfrontiergroup.com fax: +1 949 666 6520

sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

Plotkin Health Inc – A Subsidiary of MacroHealth LP

Cost Containment

Shaun A. Plotkin BA (Uvic), LLB (Monash), GDLP – President 27-3088 Francis Road, Richmond, British Columbia V7C 5V9, CANADA tel: +1 604 241 9639 fax: +1 604 241 0733

email: website:

Companies controlling medical expenditure for insurers and assistance providers

shaun@plotkinconsulting.com www.plotkinconsulting.com

World Medical Management Solutions LLC

Eurocross Turkey

Holger Camacho – President and CEO

Mehtap Baylam Akkaya – CEO

1380 NE Miami Gardens Drive, Suite 220, North Miami Beach, FL 33179, USA tel: +1 305 692 9009 ext. 219 email: hc@wmmsolutions.com website: www.wmmsolutions.com fax: +1 305 501 4220

Altunizade Mahallesi, Ord. Prof. Fahrettin Kerim Gökay Caddesi, Eşref Çakmak Plaza, No:32 Kat:3 34662 Üsküdar İstanbul, TURKEY tel: +90 216 265 15 25 email: int@eurocrossturkey.com.tr website: www.eurocrossturkey.com.tr fax: +90 216 265 15 65

43

For all Service Directory enquiries email: sales@itij.com

SERVICE DIRECTORY

or please call +44 (0) 117 925 5151 (opt. 1)

AVAILABLE ONLINE - itij.com/servicedirectory

AIMS

Global Excel Management Mary-Jo McDonald (MJ) – Managing Director

Bernadette Breton – Chief Executive Officer

Sanderum Centre, 30a Upper High Street, Thame, OX9 3EX, UK

AIMS House, 3 West St, Bryanston 2191, Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA

tel: +44 1865 400 007 fax: +44 845 003 1351

tel: +00 27 11 783 0135 fax: +00 27 11 783 2950

email: website:

corpinfo@globalexcel.com www.globalexcel.com

operations@aims.org.za www.aims.org.za

email: website:

AP Companies

Marm Assistance Hamdi Inan – CEO

Natalya Butakova – Business Development Manager

AirPort Plaza, Ankara Caddesi, No:486, Kurtkoy 34912, Istanbul, TURKEY

17 Varshavskoye Shosse, Moscow 117105, RUSSIA

tel: +90 216 560 07 24 fax: +90 216 560 07 07

tel: +7 495 989 1120 fax: +7 495 989 1130

email: website:

marm@marm.com.tr www.marmassistance.com

email: website:

natalya@ap-companies.ru www.ap-companies.ru

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sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

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Claims at TuGo

Travel Agents

Taka Katsube – Director Assistance & Cost Managment 10th Floor, 6081 No.3 Road, Richmond, BC V6Y 2B2, CANADA tel: +1 604 303 2113 fax: +1 604 276 4593

email: website:

24/7 medical travel agency and medical repatriation specialist, uniquely skilled in routing passengers home worldwide

tkat@tugo.com www.tugo.com

Global Excel Management

Voyageur Aeromedical Travel

John Spears – VP Business Development & Marketing

Marc Banting – Director

73 Queen St, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 0C9, CANADA

19 Lower Park Row, Bristol, UK

tel: +1 819 566 8833 fax: +1 819 566 8447

tel: +44 (0)117 921 0401 fax: +44 (0)845 384 7008

email: corpinfo@globalexcel.com website: www.globalexcel.com

Global Medical Management

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Soraia Arroyo Lynch – VP of Marketing & Networks 880 SW 145th Ave., Suite 400, Pembroke Pines, FL, 33027, USA tel: +1 (954) 334 4802 fax: +1 (954) 370 8613

email: website:

email: marc@voyageur.co.uk website: www.voyageur24.com

sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

SLynch@gmmi.com www.gmmi.com

MD ABROAD

Critical Care Patient Transport

Ignacio C. Marquez – COO 2999 NE 191st Street, Suite 608, Aventura, Florida, USA tel: + 1 (786) 475-5475 fax: +1 718 847 0533

email: website:

Specialist transport service providers for critical care patients

operations@mdabroad.com www.mdabroad.com

New Frontier Group

DRK Assistance of MacroHealth LP

Gitte Bach – President and CEO

Andreas Speich – Managing Director

1024 Bayside Drive, Suite 144, Newport Beach, California, 92660-7462, USA

Aufm Hennekamp 71, 40225 Düsseldorf, GERMANY

tel: +1 949 429 7130 fax: +1 949 666 6520

tel: +49 211 301 805-0 fax: +49 211 301 805-21

email: Bach@NewFrontierGroup.com website: www.newfrontiergroup.com

Penfield Care

email: moc@drkassistance.com website: www.drkassistance.com

European Air Ambulance Mr Stephen Zatylny – President

Patrick Schomaker – Director Sales & Marketing

A1-130 Terence Matthews Crescent, Ottawa, Ontario, K2M 0J1, CANADA

Luxembourg Airport, B.P.24, L-5201, Sandweiler, LUXEMBOURG

tel: +1 613 703 9861 fax: +1 819 200 0281

24hr tel: +352 26 26 00 +352 26 26 01 fax:

email: website:

info@penfieldcare.com www.penfieldcare.com

Plotkin Health Inc – A Subsidiary of MacroHealth LP

email: website:

Malteser Service Center

Shaun A. Plotkin BA (Uvic), LLB (Monash), GDLP – President

Johannes Hoischen – International Network and Repatriation

27-3088 Francis Road, Richmond, British Columbia V7C 5V9, CANADA

Erna-Scheffler-Strasse 2, 51103 Köln, GERMANY

tel: +1 604 241 9639 fax: +1 604 241 0733

tel: +49 221 98 22 9333 fax: +49 40 694597 61339

email: website:

alert@air-ambulance.com www.air-ambulance.com

shaun@plotkinconsulting.com www.plotkinconsulting.com

Star Healthcare Network, Inc.

email: website:

ambulance@malteser.org www.malteser-service-center.de

Skyalta

Gigi Galen Grobstein – President

David Ewing – Executive Vice-President, Global Markets

120 Bloomingdale Road, Suite #304, White Plains, NY 10605, USA

Montreal/PE Trudeau Int Airport, 9025 Avenue Ryan, Montreal (Quebec), H9P 1A2, CANADA tel: +1 514 497 7000 email: alert@sky-alta.com website: www.sky-alta.com fax: +1 514 636 0096

tel: + 1 914 358 9121 fax: + 1 914 358 9206

email: Ggalen@starhealthcarenet.com website: www.starhealthcarenet.com

World Medical Management Solutions

Get Listed Now

Holger Camacho – President and CEO 1380 NE Miami Gardens Drive, Suite 220, North Miami Beach, FL 33179, USA tel: +1 305 692 9009 ext. 219 email: hc@wmmsolutions.com website: www.wmmsolutions.com fax: +1 305 501 4220

sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

44

For all Service Directory enquiries email: sales@itij.com

SERVICE DIRECTORY

or please call +44 (0) 117 925 5151 (opt. 1)

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Ground Transport - Medical

Funeral Directors

Medical transportation for patients who need to be transferred by road

Organisers of international funeral repatriations or the repatriation of mortal remains

CNAS

ANTEA International Funeral Assistance Gergely Novak – CEO / Dr. Noemi Balas – Head of operations

Carole Luisy – Managing Director

International Repatriation Services: HUNGARY, SLOVAKIA, ROMANIA

80 rue des alliés, 38100, Grenoble, FRANCE

tel: +36 1 216 61 08 fax: +36 1 216 61 07

email: website:

tel: +33 438 49 83 49 fax: +33 438 49 83 40

office@antea.hu www.antea.hu

email: website:

carole.luisy@cnas-assistance.com www.cnas-assistance.com

DRK Assistance

Crossing World Group Anuska Meliá – CEO

Andreas Speich – Managing Director

Calle San Vicente Ferrer, 141 46184 San Antonio de Benageber, Valencia, SPAIN tel: +34 96 135 3438 email: info@crossingworldgroup.com website: www.crossingworldgroup.com fax: +34 96 135 3438

Aufm Hennekamp 71, 40225 Düsseldorf, GERMANY tel: +49 211 301 805-0 fax +49 211 301 805-21

email: website:

moc@drkassistance.com www.drkassistance.com

GroundMed Australia

Flying Home Pte Ltd Mr Ang Ziqian – Director

Matthew Kline & Mark Wardrop – Executive Directors

Blk 4 Lorong 8 Toa Payoh #01-1345A, SINGAPORE

Hangar 650 Drover Road, Bankstown Airport. NSW, Sydney, AUSTRALIA 2200

tel: +65 6253 0001 fax: +65 6353 5801

email: website:

enquiry@flyinghome.com www.flyinghome.com

tel: +61 2 8700 0685 fax: +61 2 8700 0663

Funeral Home AURIGA Ltd.

email: website:

ops@airmed.com.au www.airmed.com.au

Medresponse Ambulance Services

Helena Sulikova – Chief of International Department

James Bautista – Business Development Manager

B. Nemcové Street 1052/1, 412 01 Litomerice, CZECH REPUBLIC

Unit 26-A Rufino Pacific Tower, 6784 Ayala Ave., Makati, Metro Manila, PHILIPPINES tel: +63 921 225 7470 email: email 24/7: +63 917 185 9911

email: enquiry@flyinghome.com website: www.flyinghome.com

tel: +420 724 257 899 fax: +420 416 732 582

ops@medresponse.ph www.medresponse.ph

Gateway International EMS

Funeralia Oleg Antoni Milinski – Funeral Director

Oliver L. Müller – CEO

International funeral services, UKRAINE, POLAND, ITALY

1440 G St. NW, Washington DC, 20005, USA

email: website:

tel: +38 0971 498 785 fax: +48 5131 236 78

tel: +1-888-828-5258 fax: +1-201-205-2239

funeralia.org@gmail.com www.Funeralia.org

email: operations@gateway-ems.com website: www.gateway-ems.com

LifeMed Worldwide

FUNERARIA OFFICIA ROBERTO ZEGA - Worldwide Repatriations Specialist Cristina Zega – Repatriations Manager

24/7 Chauffeured Transportation & Ground Ambulance

Via Clelia, 26 / 28 - 00181 Roma, ITALY

990 Biscayne Blvd. Suite 502 Miami, FL 33132, USA

tel: +39 06 78 40 300 fax: +39 06 78 02 488

email: website:

info@zega.it www.zega.it

tel: +1-305-501-2009

Menuha Laad Ltd

email: website:

ops@lifemedworldwide.com www.lifemedworldwide.com

One Call Medical Transports

Eitan Kariv – CEO

24 Hour Worldwide Ground Transports

30 Hashaham St. Petach Tikva, ISRAEL

3815 E Main St., Suite C St. Charles, IL 60174, USA

tel: fax:

+972 3 639 9990 +972 3 687 2950

email: website:

replaad@gmail.com www.menuhalaadrepatriation.com

Rowland Brothers International Ltd.

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Fiona Greenwood – Operations Director 299-305 Whitehorse Road, West Croydon, Surrey CR0 2HR, UK tel: fax:

+44 20 8684 2324 +44 20 8684 8000

email: website:

email: ops@ocmt.com website: www.ocmt.com

tel: +1 630 444 2100 fax: +1 630 823 2900

info@rowlandbrothersinternational.com www.rowlandbrothersinternational.com

Singapore Casket Company Ltd

sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

Hospitals

Calvin Tang 131 Lavender Street, Singapore, 338737, SINGAPORE tel: +65 6293 4388 fax: +65 6296 5993

Facilities offering medical diagnosis and treatment, including clinics and urgent care centers

email: customerservice@singaporecasket.com.sg website: www.singaporecasket.com.sg

Antalya Life Hospitals

Spain Funeral Services Mourad Messaoud – General Manager

Fadil Aksu – International Network Supervisor

calle jesus 25-29200- ANTEQUERA, SPAIN

Şirinyali Mahallesi,1487 Sokak, No:4 Antalya, TURKEY

tel: +34 902 008 407 tel: +34 627 053 979

email: website:

tel: fax:

contact@spainfuneralservices.com www.spainfuneralservices.com

+90 549 784 88 60 +90 242 310 80 70

email: antalya@lifehospital.com.tr website: www.lifehospital.com.tr

Private Anadolu Hospitals Antalya

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Pinar Ergün Sönmez – International Patient Manager Caybasi Mah. 1352 sk. No: 8, 07100 Antalya, TURKEY

sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

tel: fax:

45

+90 2422 493 300 +90 2423 116 778

email: pinar.ergun@anatoliahospital.com website: www.anatoliahospital.com

For all Service Directory enquiries email: sales@itij.com

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or please call +44 (0) 117 925 5151 (opt. 1)

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SkyCare Global LLC.

Luz Saúde SA Eve Jokel, MPH – International Director

Stephen Avise – VP of Operations

Rua Carlos Alberto da Mota Pinto, 17-9.º 1070-313 Lisboa, PORTUGAL

835 Seminole Blvd., Tarpon Springs FL, 34689, USA

tel: +351 213 138 260 fax: +351 213 530 292

US tel: +1 727 230 2263 EU tel: +39 345 461 8122

intlpatientservices@luzsaude.pt luzsaude.pt/en

email: website:

Quironsalud

Get Listed Now

Miguel Torregrosa – International Inbound Business ManagerBusiness Manager SPAIN tel: +34 901 123 456

info@skycareglobal.com www.skycareglobal.com

email: website:

sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

email: g24@quironsalud.es website: www.quironsalud.es/international

Sharp Global Patient Services

Medical Provider

Jacquie Schwoerke – Vice President, Sharp GPS 8695 Spectrum Center Blvd., San Diego, CA 92123, USA toll free: +1 619 471 0466 +1 858 499 4967 fax:

email: website:

Providers of medical services such as telemedicine, remote medical assistance, and doctor visits

Sharp.GlobalPatientServices@sharp.com www.sharp.com

AMREF Flying Doctors

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Dr Bettina Vadera – Medical Director Wilson Airport, Langata Road, PO Box 18617, Nairobi, KENYA

sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

tel: +254 20 6000 090 fax: +254 20 344 170

email: website:

emergency@flydoc.org www.flydoc.org

Doctorcall

Medical Escort On Commercial Airlines

Joe Beeltah – Client Liaison Executive 121 Harley Street, London W1G 6AX, UK

Providers of nurses and doctors to accompany non-critical patients onboard commercial flights

24/7 tel: +44 0344 257 0345 int. tel: +44 161 214 1906

guarantees@doctorcall.co.uk www.doctorcall.co.uk

World Medical Care

AirMed Australia

Holger Camacho – President and CEO

Matthew Kline & Mark Wardrop – Executive Directors

1380 NE Miami Gardens Drive, Suite 220, North Miami Beach, FL 33179, USA tel: +1 305 692 9009 ext. 219 email: hc@wmmsolutions.com website: www.wmmsolutions.com fax: +1 305 501 4220

Hangar 650 Drover Road, Bankstown Airport. NSW, Sydney, AUSTRALIA 2200 tel: +61 2 8700 0685 fax: +61 2 8700 0663

email: website:

ops@airmed.com.au www.airmed.com.au

AMREF Flying Doctors

Get Listed Now

Dr Bettina Vadera – Medical Director Wilson Airport, Langata Road, PO Box 18617, Nairobi, KENYA tel: fax:

email: website:

+254 20 6000 090 +254 20 344 170

email: website:

sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

emergency@flydoc.org www.flydoc.org

DRK Assistance

Technology

Andreas Speich – Managing Director Aufm Hennekamp 71, 40225 Düsseldorf, GERMANY tel: +49 211 301 805-0 fax: +49 211 301 805-21

Providers of specialist software for the insurance and assistance industries

email: Bach@NewFrontierGroup.com website: www.newfrontiergroup.com

Cambridge Global Payments

European Air Ambulance Patrick Schomaker – Director Sales & Marketing

Brad Loder – VP Marketing & Corporate Sponsorships

Luxembourg Airport, B.P.24, L-5201, Sandweiler, LUXEMBOURG

212 King Street West, Suite 400, Toronto, ON M5H 1K5, CANADA

24hr tel: +352 26 26 00 +352 26 26 01 fax:

email: website:

alert@air-ambulance.com www.air-ambulance.com

tel: +1 (416) 646 6401 ext. 2392

Medical Wings

email: bloder@cambridgefx.com website: www.cambridgefx.com

Aquarium Software Ltd Dr.Sura Jaidwatee, M.D. – Medical Flight Manager

Mark Colonnese – Director

222 Don Mueang International Airport Office Building 3rd Floor, Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, Sanambin, Don Mueang, Bangkok 10210, THAILAND 24hr tel: +662 247 3392 email: m.w@medicalwings.com website: www.medicalwings.com +662 535 4734 fax:

Poplar House, 126a Ashley Road, Hale, WA14 2UN, UK tel: +44 (0)161 927 5620 tel: +1 213 205 2200

mark.colonnese@aquarium-software.com

www.aquarium-software.com

Firemelon (Magenta Insurance System)

PARKVIEW AIR MEDICAL

Zena Carter – Managing Director

David Ewing – Executive Vice President, Global Markets

5th Floor, Moneda House, 25-27 Wellington Place, Belfast, BT1 6GD, NORTHERN IRELAND email: zena.carter@firemelon.com tel: +44 07859 053970 website: www.firemelon.com

9025 Avenue Ryan, Montréal (Quebec), H9P 1A2, CANADA tel: +1 519 942 8143 fax: +1 519 941 4213

email: website:

email: repat@parkviewairmedical.com website: www.parkviewairmedical.com

Prime Nursing Care, Inc.

Nordic Insurance Software

Franziska Hollenstein – CEO / Founder

Elliott Draga – Head of Sales and Marketing

2005 Van Buren Street, Suite 215, Hollywood, Florida, 33020, USA

Aarhusgade 88, 6th Floor, 2100 Copenhagen, DENMARK

24/7: + 1 754 999 0460 fax: + 1 754 222 5051

tel: +1 (905) 866-8262

email: website:

contact@primenursingcare.com www.primenursingcare.com

46

email: website:

elliott.draga@nisportal.com www.nisportal.com

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