ITIJ Issue 215 December 2018 by Voyageur Group

NEWS ANALYSIS:

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FEATURE:

Canadian travellers puzzled over pot

Building on associations

Full legalisation leads to full confusion

How can collaboration help improve the perception of travel insurance?

ESSENTIAL READING FOR TRAVEL & HEALTH INSURANCE PROFESSIONALS

Tifgroup under fire

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SERVICE DIRECTORY

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DECEMBER 2018 • ISSUE 215

Policies require university-level reading skills

The Times newspaper in the UK has reported that travel insurer Travel Insurance Facilities Group (tifgroup) is under investigation over a series of allegations, including that policyholders have had problems accessing proper medical care

According to an investigation by UK-based consumer advocacy group Which?, many insurance policy documents require universitylevel reading skills and would pose a challenge to even some industry experts

According to an investigation by the newspaper, the Financial Conduct Authority has received a 40,000-word dossier from a whisteblower – including testimony from a former tifgroup claims handler – that accuses the multimillion-pound company of a pattern of practice to delay, avoid or minimise payouts. These supposedly include going against the advice of treating doctors to fly patients home, denying suitable aftercare to patients following an incident, purposefully avoiding contact with treating doctors, and making patients pay upfront for their treatment. According to The Times, the medical council is investigating at least five cases, including one in which a customer who suffered a riding accident while in Spain, resulting in a broken neck, claimed that she was denied a medical flight back to the UK. In another case, it is alleged that tifgroup refused to evacuate a policyholder who suffered a blood clot in his brain while on holiday in Ethiopia; the man subsequently died of sepsis. The whistleblower whose testimony is supposedly included in the dossier is quoted as saying: “I remember patients needing life-saving or lifechanging operations and [the doctor] just wouldn’t

As part of the investigation, Which? ran 40 policy documents from 10 major travel, home, car and pet insurers through readability software to ascertain what level of comprehension skill a reader would need to possess in order to fully understand everything written. According to the results, the average document required a higher level of reading ability than a reader would need to understand Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History Of Time, and Which? said that this would pose a problem for 43 per cent of working adults with a GCSE reading ability of grade C or below. Separately, the consumer group also showed policy documents to a retired insurance professional, some software engineers and some civil servants and asked them questions, finding that they were unable to answer all the questions correctly. On average, five out of 16 questions related to travel insurance documents were incorrect, while three out of 12 questions related to home insurance were found to be

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US travellers are underinsured A survey has found that, despite numerous record-breaking hurricanes striking all over the world in the past year, many US travellers are not purchasing travel insurance for their trips The survey, which was undertaken by TravelInsurance.com, found that a concerning 54 per cent of US consumers have never purchased travel insurance, with 65 per cent of this group never even having considered it. Forty-seven

per cent of respondents, meanwhile, expressed a lack of knowledge about whether their health insurance would cover them while travelling abroad. The lack of coverage and awareness is even more worrying when set against the findings that 76 per cent of respondents have experienced a flight delay in the past, while 48 per cent have either lost or had luggage stolen, and 35 per cent have either fallen ill while travelling or been travelling with someone who fell ill. “It is really incredible to me that we are where

we are, at least in the US market,” said Stan Sandberg, co-Founder of TravelInsurance.com. “Everywhere else in the world, people buy their travel first, and then buy their travel insurance immediately after.” He suggested that this issue could be driven by the fact that many see travel insurance as more of an optional addon purchase rather than a valuable product in and of itself – many airlines and online travel

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Editorial comment @ITIJeditor Sarah Watson - editor

Editor-in-Chief:

Ian Cameron ian@itij.com

sarah@itij.com

Editor:

It was great to see and meet so many of our readers, contributors and advertisers at ITIC Global in Geneva last month. The conference sessions went in-depth on many pertinent topics, which we will, of course, be following up in the pages of ITIJ, and the debates were enlightening as always. We’re looking forward to ITIC Global in Malta next year already! At the Finale Dinner of the conference, we hosted the annual ITIJ Awards ceremony, and it was an honour to once again present these awards to so many deserved winners in each of our nine categories. The standard of the entries genuinely increases year on year, and this year was no exception. The winners and finalists all have so much to be proud of. Check out our full review of ITIC Global in Geneva and the 2018 ITIJ Awards with this issue. You can also watch the ITIJ Awards on demand at itij.com/ awards if you want to relive the magic or if you missed watching live.

In this issue of ITIJ, we have news of the controversy surrounding UK travel insurer tifgroup; an analysis of the insurance implications around cannabis legalisation in Canada; a feature on how travel insurers and industry bodies work together; and we talk to Richard Lonsdale of Generali Global Health about what he’s looking forward to in 2019. And, as always, we have all the latest research and reports on consumer behaviour around travel insurance purchasing; we keep you up to date with company and product developments in the global marketplace; and we present the latest thought leadership on tech issues and other key topics. Talking of tech, we’re excited to be bringing you a brand new supplemental Review publication next year dedicated entirely to this subject. We’ve got lots more up our sleeves for you next year; but, in the meantime, have a great festive season!

CONTENTS HIGHLIGHTS

News

Kiwis dissatisﬁed with travel insurance

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Chubb oﬀers enhanced business cover

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New solution launched in Hong Kong

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Insurance Matters

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Travel insurers need tech-savvy partners

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Travel Matters

US travel habits analysed

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New data from Allianz

Health Matters

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.

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US travellers are underinsured agencies, for example, include tick boxes and pop-ups for travel insurance, a phenomenon that has received much negative press and even a damning report from a US senator in recent times. “[This method] might be one of the worst ways to help travellers understand what is effectively still a somewhat complicated product,” Sandberg continued. “When you are fed a ‘one-size-fits-all, take it or leave it’ option at checkout, there is nothing to understand. It’s like the warranty we’re offered when you buy a consumer electronics product. Most of us have been conditioned to turn it down.” Insurers, he said, need to make their product ‘customer-friendly and accessible’, in the same way that home and property insurance have been marketed. Weather worries However, just because US travellers may be foregoing coverage in some instances, that doesn’t mean that they don’t have concerns about travelling. According to US-based travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth, weather has supplanted terrorism as the top travel worry of American holidaymakers. Squaremouth has been comparing the analysis it undertook of US travel habits during the Thanksgiving travel season in 2017 with analysis of similar trends this year, and breaking down how these trends have changed. Searches for terrorism insurance coverage has reportedly decreased by 38 per cent compared with last year, with hurricane and other bad weather coverages up by 26 per cent. Squaremouth also found that

Policies require university-level reading skills incorrect. It is the opinion of Which? that the average policyholder should be able to answer all policy questions correctly, as a lapse in understanding could be the difference between a successful experience and a hugely costly mistake. When it came to the travel insurance

the Association of British Insurers, commented: “No insurer wants confused customers. They continually review their customer communications, including policy documents, so that they are as clear and easy to understand as possible, while meeting strict regulatory and legal

Millions of insurance policies are bought every year, so it is worrying the policy documents are often far too complex for the average customer to understand more travellers are considering insurance for cruises this year, with searches for this type of coverage increasing by 33 per cent compared with last year. Cruises have particularly increased in popularity among baby boomers (followed by ‘Gen X’ and millennials), with this demographic taking triple the number of cruise trips this year compared with 2017.

When you are fed a ‘one-size-fits-all, take it or leave it’ option at checkout, there is nothing to understand The US remains the most popular holiday destination for US travellers for the second consecutive year, with the number of holidaymakers insuring domestic trips increasing by a whopping 43 per cent. Mexico is the second most popular destination, followed by the Caribbean and the UK.

document, those surveyed found it hardest to answer questions related to when to report changes to a health condition. “Millions of insurance policies are bought every year, so it is worrying the policy documents are often far too complex for the average customer to understand, as our investigation suggests,” said Ceri Stanaway, Money Editor at Which?. “Unclear insurance policies can have devastating consequences for customers, who could see their cover invalidated due to a misunderstanding. Customers can use their insurer’s glossary to make sense of complex terms and should give their insurer a call if something is unclear; however, we want to see all insurance providers taking steps to cut out the jargon and make their policy documents easy for customers to get to grips with.” Industry response Malcolm Tarling, a spokesman for

requirements. Anyone who is unclear on any aspect of their cover should always contact their insurer for clarification.” Santander, whose travel insurance policy was included in the investigation, said that while it was ‘committed to making our insurance offering as simple for our customers as possible ... the scenarios offered by Which? have been a helpful indicator of where the language used may be simplified for use in future’. The policy wording question is a tale as old as time, and not as black and white as it is often presented – after all, travel insurance is a complicated product, and there is only so far that the wording can be simplified before important details start getting missed out. However, it is very important that a happy medium be found where all the relevant information is still presented to the customer, but in as clear and concise a manner as possible. Or at least, a little clearer and more concise than A Brief History of Time…

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Tifgroup under fire pick up the phone for weeks, knowing full well they were waiting for his call. Patients were left without contact and I was the one stuck in the middle. It was horrendous. [The] general practice was to frustrate the patient’s family so much that they would either give up or pay for the treatment themselves, therefore saving the company money.” As well as the aforementioned allegations, The Times also reported that some foreign hospitals have been denied payment by tifgroup, leading to policyholders having to pay their own medical bills – one hospital in Antalya, Turkey, apparently experienced so many instances of nonpayment that it subsequently refused

to treat any more tifgroup customers. Tifgroup has strongly refuted the suggestion that clinical decisions are affected by financial considerations. The insurer is reportedly offering the medical council its full co-operation. Additionally, it denies the alleged avoidance practices, and claims that in situations where clinics request payment upfront, policyholders are reimbursed. In an official statement, tifgroup said: “We wholly deny the very serious allegations appearing in The Times’ article. The allegations made are extremely damaging and not in the public interest. When people fall ill abroad, naturally their first instinct is to want to come home. However, this

may not necessarily be what is best for them in medical terms to achieve the most optimal recovery. Our focus is on the best clinical outcome for patients based on expert medical advice, clinical fact, aviation medicine and our extensive experience of transporting unwell holidaymakers across the globe. We advise on the safest course of action in the specific circumstances of every case.” Whether these allegations are proven to be true or untrue – and ITIJ sincerely hopes it is the latter – in many respects the damage to the travel insurance industry’s already fragile reputation has already been done. Such a high-profile story, with such unpleasant

Editorial Blog The front page story regarding allegations made by The Times in the UK against the tif group of, amongst other things, not providing proper medical care for their policyholders, makes ugly reading for all involved in the industry. Tif, unsurprisingly, vehemently denies these claims. Whether or not the claims are upheld, the potential damage done to the credibility of the travel insurance industry (at least in the UK) is palpable. If they are proven to be false, the damage can be limited. If, however, any of these accusations are proven to be true in whole or in part, then the consequences could prove to be dramatic, not only for tifgroup, but for the credibility of the industry as a whole. It could lead to the introduction of further and more draconian regulations, closer scrutiny and an outside inspection and audit of the day-to-day running and handling of claims cases. On a personal note, I sincerely hope that the accusations of the denial of proper medical care are proved to be totally unfounded. I, for one, believe that any person or entity who denies proper or correct medical assistance on grounds of financial or commercial gain is beneath contempt. And any person or entity that is proven to be party to such practices should hang their heads in shame.

Ian Cameron Editor-in-chief ian@itij.com

details, can only further tarnish the image of an industry that, to put it kindly, has never enjoyed particularly positive PR. We can only

Whether these allegations are proven to be true or untrue ... in many respects the damage to the travel insurance industry’s already fragile reputation has already been done hope that the affair inspires our industry to double down on its ethical responsibilities and strive to meet the very highest standards on behalf of its policyholders.

NEWS

Avoid crowdfunding, ABTA urges Brits The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has warned British travellers that they need to ensure they protect themselves with travel insurance that is ‘fit for purpose’, in order to avoid being the latest high-profile case of crowdfunding after a holiday goes wrong. Angela Hills, ABTA’s Senior Destinations Manager, told delegates at the recent World Travel Market 2018 event that around 22 per cent of Brits are still heading abroad without taking out comprehensive travel insurance – a problem in and of itself, before you consider the fact that many travellers are increasingly taking risks while on holiday as part of their desire for a more exciting, authentic experience. “One of the core messages today is the importance of travel insurance,” she said. “Customers need to have the right insurance – for example, if they are going to participate in water sports, they need to make sure their insurance covers that sport.” Everybody is familiar, she said, with media coverage where an uninsured traveller has been forced to launch a crowdfunding appeal to get them home after experiencing a disaster while on holiday, with emotional appeals from family members on news programmes. ABTA’s core message, she reiterated, is that if awareness and take-up of travel insurance improves,

Kiwis dissatisfied with travel insurance New Zealand-based financial dispute service Financial Services Complaints has released data showing that travel insurance is the product about which it receives the most complaints. The organisation said that, in the year to 30 June 2018, it opened 288 cases for investigation; a 35-per-cent year-on-year increase (and the highest number since it first began investigating such issues in 2011). Of these, 36 per cent were related to insurers or insurance, and travel insurance was the specific product that Kiwis were reportedly the unhappiest about.

there will be no need for these appeals. This is obviously better for travellers, but from a PR perspective it is also better for the travel insurance industry. “Buy travel insurance that is fit for purpose,” said Hills. “Do not buy travel insurance that is the cheapest available, and if you buy insurance that lasts a year, that is fabulous – but make sure it covers your next adventure before you travel.” She also said that travel agents needed to ensure that they kept their customers up to date with correct information, rather than leaving it to news reports, which could be potentially misleading.

Business travel risks analysed According to the Ipsos MORI Business Resilience Trends Watch 2019 survey, carried out in partnership with International SOS, 43 per cent of key business decisionmakers believe that travel risks will increase in 2019 However, this represents the third year in a row that the number holding this opinion has decreased. Fifty-two per cent predicted that risk would increase in 2018, while 57 per cent believed that risk would increase in 2017. Forty-five per cent of respondents, meanwhile, stated that risk has remained at the same level this year compared with last year (increasing from the 31 per cent who said the same in 2017). Forty-seven per cent said that they felt that travel risks had increased this year, representing a drop of 16 per cent compared with how many said the same in 2017. Seventytwo per cent said the same in 2016. “While almost half of decision-makers believe that travel risks will increase next year, our research reveals that the evolving travel habits of the modern workforce are being overlooked by many organisations,” said Sally Napper, Security Specialist at International SOS and Control Risks. “Ensuring your policies stay relevant to the needs of a modern workforce helps to keep your people safer and better informed, and also demonstrates the continuing importance of adaptive risk management programmes – and could help win board approval and support for other initiatives.”

Consumer credit and travel cards were also extensively complained about. The organisation’s Chief Executive Susan Taylor said that the rise in complaints related to travel insurance correlates with the fact that more New Zealanders are travelling abroad than ever before. In some ways, this can be seen as positive news, because it shows that these travellers are taking out coverage – although clearly there is either an issue with consumer understanding of insurance, or some insurers are not fulfilling their duties to the fullest extent. Or perhaps both.

four per cent said that confirming that employees had read all their pre-travel guidance was the biggest challenge, while 42 per cent cited tracking employee travel, 42 per cent cited communicating

While almost half of decision-makers believe that travel risks will increase next year, our research reveals that the evolving travel habits of the modern workforce are being overlooked by many organisations with employees during a crisis, and 40 per cent cited having adequate resources to manage their health and safety efforts. International SOS noted that only nine per cent of businesses said that they updated their company sustainability programme to

include their travel risk programme, while only 11 per cent monitored the number of road traffic accidents in a destination and only 21 per cent implemented a programme to help employees understand their existing health issues while travelling, suggesting that there is some room for improvement as far as protecting employees goes – although many organisations did cite an encouraging number of strategies that they are adopting to better meet their duty of care requirements. “Education and training are essential to reduce travel-related risk,” said Dr Doug Quarry, Group Medical Director for information and analysis at International SOS. “It is surprising that we are still seeing less than half of organisations taking these basic steps to satisfy their duty of care. These programmes increase the chances that employees’ assignments will run smoothly – safeguarding the employee and also the business investment involved in the travel.”

Protecting the workforce The survey also found that 63 per cent of decision-makers say that educating employees about travel risks is a major issue and the greatest challenge for ensuring that travellers stay safe. Forty-

Tips for hapless travellers

A recent survey has found that as many as 90 per cent of travellers have experienced some variety of mishap while travelling abroad and has urged everyone embarking on a trip to purchase appropriate travel insurance cover. TravelInsurance.com’s survey found, for example, that three in four travellers had experienced a flight delay while holidaying, and as winter booking season in the US ramps up, with Thanksgiving and Christmas trips being organised and many deals appearing, the site believes that this is an appropriate time to remind travellers about what can potentially go wrong. After all, as it points out, travel insurance costs a fraction of the overall cost of a holiday – between four per cent and eight per cent, roughly – but if something goes wrong, a lack of effective coverage can result in a much higher bill. When purchasing insurance, the comparison site advises travellers to consider their destination and origin point, for example if they are holidaying during hurricane season, as once a storm is named, travel insurance with cancellation coverage needs to have already been purchased to enjoy the benefits; and if a holidaymaker is travelling to or from an affected destination, full coverage is crucial. It also advises travellers to bear in mind who they are travelling with (children can easily fall ill, for example, and older travellers may need a higher level of medical coverage); be mindful of what activities they plan to partake in; and purchase insurance early.

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Over-55s not declaring mental health issues New research has found that a worrying proportion of travellers aged over 55 are failing to declare their mental health issues when purchasing travel insurance The data, from UK-based specialist medical travel insurer AllClear, has found that 17 per cent of under-55s declare mental health issues to their insurers, compared with only 10 per cent of those aged 55 to 64, five per cent of those aged 65 to 74, and two per cent of those aged over 75. Thirty different mental health conditions featured in the research, from depression to claustrophobia. Concerningly, according to National Health

Service statistics cited by AllClear, one-fifth of people aged over 65 suffer from depression. “Older people are traditionally less comfortable talking about their mental health and this can be a problem when seeking travel insurance,” said Chris Rolland, CEO of AllClear. “The consequences can be dire, as failing to declare can potentially invalidate a policy in the event of a claim. While it seems that the subject of mental health is losing its stigma for younger generations, the challenge remains in ensuring all age groups understand that mental health conditions need to be declared when taking out travel insurance. We need to start talking about mental health more, and the

Tui faces holiday illness claims

industry needs to do more to ensure people know where to find specialist insurance.” The research comes hot on the heels of strongly worded calls from the Money

Older people are traditionally less comfortable talking about their mental health and this can be a problem when seeking travel insurance and Mental Health Policy Institute for the Financial Conduct Authority to review the pricing and availability of travel insurance for those suffering from mental health issues.

MEDFLIGHT

Tour operator Tui is facing group legal action from a number of holidaymakers who became ill during trips to Mexico’s Riviera Maya region back in 2016 Approximately 440 people are bringing compensation claims against the operator, alleging that while Public Health England (PHE) has issued warnings about the region, they were not told about any potential risks by their tour operator. Some were given a warning letter, but only once they had checked in to their hotel. A Manchester county court judge has ordered Tui to disclose any and all documentary evidence that relates to PHE and Mexican health authorities’ investigations into cyclospora in the Riviera Maya region. The parasite is spread by food contaminated with infected human faeces; it causes cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness that can cause diarrhoea, loss of appetite, weight loss, cramping, bloating, nausea, fatigue, vomiting and low-grade fever. The infection, while not life threatening, is extremely unpleasant. Nick Harris of law firm Simpson Millar, which is representing all the claimants, accused the tour operator of irresponsible behaviour: “The bug [cyclosporiasis] becomes prevalent every year between May and June, so it’s not something Tui is unaware of.” Tui has refused to comment on the legal process, saying that it would be ‘inappropriate’, but the tour operator did comment that ‘we’d like to reassure customers that we regularly audit all of the hotels we feature in respect of health and safety’. Unfortunately, from a PR perspective, it is highly likely that many customers will see the words ‘contaminated with infected human faeces’ and immediately stop reading, so the damage will already have been done…

INDUSTRY VOICE

Superior customer experience as a differentiator Graeme Dean, Head of Insurance at Cover Genius, explains how travel industry players – from hospitality chains to tour operators and airlines – need to find insurance partners at the bleeding edge of customer experience delivery to futureproof themselves against the changing tides of customer demands Consumer power is on the rise, bringing with it sharpened expectations around communications and experience. With 76 per cent of European consumers adopting a quick-to-ditch mindset, businesses must upgrade their customer experience if they are to survive the high odds that are stacked against them. For travel firms, getting smart with insurance could help them reduce the risk of being ditched. The increased pressure on travel firms to meet the shifting demands of customers is no secret: today’s travellers, in an alwayson world, have become smarter, more informed and better prepared than ever before. Having instant information and solutions delivered to the palm of the hand, along with a hyper-personalised experience, is no longer a benefit, it’s expected. Technology is helping the travel sector to move in the right direction, but insurance offerings have been lagging behind in terms of efficiency, personalisation and value. Given the recent findings in a survey covered by ITIJ that looked at how technology is changing the sector – wherein 49 per cent of respondents cited online travel booking sites and booking assurances, including insurance cover, as a valuable advancement – there is an opportunity for travel players to upgrade to a superior customer experience. But they will need to find the right partnerships that ensure their high standards are met through the entire customer journey, from policy manufacture to claims. The journey ﬂow With comprehensive insurance policies fast becoming redundant, insurance offerings need to be tailored now more than ever. E-commerce brands’ successes come from satisfied and loyal customers, so it’s important that their insurance offering matches this. Providing a customer with the right product at the right time leaves them in control and able to make the right decisions, and ultimately gives them peace of mind. The best insurance journeys that will match the demands of today’s savvy travellers are those that take a wholly customer-centric approach that starts with the policy wording and ends with an instant payment of claims, wherever you are in the world, but that also uses data to make the product personalised. For instance, a traveller flying to Grenoble in winter should see a very different policy to one who travels to Croatia in summer. The seamlessness of the journey comes from having the ability to tap into an underwriting and regulation framework which then offers that policy bespoke to the customer, in their own language, in their currency of choice, using a platform relevant to them. The insurance experience should blend perfectly with the wider travel-planning experience, not be seen as an awkward add-on component. The journey should then flow just as naturally throughout the amendment or cancellation stage, so the customer can remove the benefits that they don’t want. Using the Grenoble example, if there’s two children who

will be on the mountain range in daycare, the customer may not want the ski lift cancellation benefit. By creating a bespoke and satisfying experience for the customer, the business will benefit from strong NPS scores. Getting the next stage – the claim component – right will be critical. Can the customer lodge the claim easily and in their own language? How fast is the response time? And more importantly, how quickly can they get the money back? If this stage falls down, the whole journey falls down. The key to ensuring your insurance offering sets you apart from the rest and delivers

travellers are increasingly demanding, fickle and often brand-promiscuous a greater customer experience is to make sure the messaging is clear, concise, tailored and consistent with the rest of the travel experience associated with your brand. Having a consistent experience is important for customers, and technology can help deliver this: by having automated processes in place for the insurance element, it’s possible to avoid unexpected variations or confusion that might be experienced at some human touchpoints. Instant solutions Delivering a first-class customer experience which begins with the policy creation and finishes with customers receiving instant payment of approved claims is, however, inherently difficult for global insurers. This is due to three key challenges: • Manual processes in getting correct bank details, especially where the bank transfers are cross-border and where there are different rules for 90+ currencies. • Global insurers are encumbered by monolithic legacy software systems and internal bureaucratic processes that delay claims and payment approvals. • Banks are slow to notify payees if their payment fails. All of the above combined can mean that global insurers have post-claim approval payment times exceeding 20 days. The good news is that the rapid evolution across the payments industry is opening up opportunities to overcome these challenges, and insurtechs are well-positioned to make these and other improvements. With the advent of fintech service providers everywhere in the payments value chain, there’s plenty of potential to resolve the

many points of friction that get in the way of faster payments. An example is instant payments – making payments in almost any currency is now possible. However, there are two important things needed. Firstly, there’s a large service design effort that accompanies the creation of bank accounts in all those countries. While the service design ensures that customers get clarity on the micro details of payments into their preferred currency, the second major piece of work is incredibly important: a microservices approach. This means that the customer communications, interface, payment delivery and notifications all need to come from separate APIs that sync together, but the process is seamless to a customer. It’s impossible to deliver a frictionless experience from legacy systems that encumber global insurers. In short, it’s one thing to invest extensively on data centres, labs, and digital transformations, but ultimately the entire technology platform of a traditional insurer is not suitable or flexible enough to take advantage of the huge innovations underway in the payments space. Customisation driving happiness The advancements in technology that we are seeing on the insurance landscape are allowing for a deeper learning experience: you can drill down into the customers’ demands, understand

Graeme Dean

their wants and needs with more clarity, and deliver the right solution. Ultimately, what these new technologypowered insurance providers – who enable a fully customer-centric approach – bring to the table makes for a happier customer, who can now benefit from world-first features such as instant payment of claims via an API or the removal of excess on policies. This new level of customisation enabled by technology not only means the customer is happier, but they are also receiving highly relevant policies delivered to them. With an uptick in customised policies, the days of the one-size-fits-all policies will be numbered. Importantly, for those businesses leveraging these new breeds of insurance solutions, the technology is contributing positively and tangibly to the overall customer experience: developments such as the instant payment of claims have been seen to push NPS scores into the 60s and 70s, well above the industry average, which is between minus five and positive 10. Thanks to the advancements being made across other industry sectors, customers have a new level of expectation around hyper-personalisation and delivery of a service. This is particularly apparent in the travel industry, where travel firms face the challenge of satisfying today’s travellers who are increasingly demanding, fickle and often brand-promiscuous. It’s therefore crucial that these e-commerce travel giants integrate these latest technologies that are now emerging. Good for business If you’re a travel firm looking to improve your insurance offering, or just starting out on your insurance offering journey, here are our top reasons why you should look to find the right partnerships with those tech-powered insurance providers who are at the bleeding edge of customer experience delivery: • Customer-centric policies and claims processes deliver NPS at scale. • High NPS scores create organic customer referrals. • Happy customers are repeat customers. • Higher lifetime value from each customer. • Less friction for your business at every step in the customer journey. • Differentiation from your competition. • Allow a growth mindset whilst your competition flounders. • Help shift value away from global insurers towards the rightful heirs – you have the customers after all! ■

NEWS

Marm Assistance wishes you a

Happy New Year 24 / 7/ 365

Happiness

We are delighted to share below a few figures to give you a brief insight of Turkey in regards to tourism.

Marm

Source: Ministry of Culture and Toursim Data Report 9/18

TOP 5 COUNTRIES VISITING TURKEY

TURKEY VISITOR FIGURES

Foreign Visitors -first 9 month- 2018 (13 972 445)

Foreign (31 815 952) & Turkish Citizen (5 217 193 ) Visitors JAN-SEP

40M 35M

5 120 599

RUSSIA

30M

3 566 020

GERMANY UK

25M

1 894 087

BULGARIA

1 713 265

IRAN

1 678 474

JAN-SEP DATA 2018

37.033.145 30.517.664

21.35% increase

20M 15M 10M 5M

In the January-September period of 2018, Russia ranked first with 16.09% (5 120 599 visitors), Germany was

second with 11.21% (3 566 020), UK was third with 5.95%. Followed by Bulgaria with 5,38% and Iran 5,28%.

2017

2018

JAN-SEP

FOREIGN CITIZEN VISITORS TO TURKEY

JAN-SEP

In the first nine months of 2018 (January-September), the

JAN-SEP 2018 (31 815 952)

number of visitors to Turkey increased by 21.35% compared to the first nine months of 2017 and reached to 37 033 145.

Eurasia

13 841 762 Europe

458 673 North America

TOP 5 BORDER GATE ENTRANCES

9 946 609 Eastern

JAN to SEP 2018

Europe

479 730

2 826 708

3 791 278

Central & South Asia

East Asia

Middle East

50%

1 052 740 Africa

192 506

59 359

33,47% 31,78%

219 327

South America

Without Nationality

100%

Oceania

9,14%

7,68%

5,96%

TRANSPORTATION DATA

Edirne

Mugla

Artvin

2 906 942

2 442 157

1 895 406

Increase in Foreign Tourists in 2019

10M

15M

20M

25M

30M

35M The new Istanbul airport is expected to boost

OPEN SEA Cruise Liner

Turkish aviation sector’s growth by 27.5 percent

1 285 363 31 048 818

AIR WAY Aircraft

10 015 163

MAINLAND

Car, Bus, Motorcylce

JAN-SEP DATA 2018

Istanbul 10 110 011

The Hotel Association of Turkey Expects a 20%

Arriving Visitors JAN-SEP 2018

Antalya 10 649 727

RAILWAY Train

91%

33 655

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in the next three years, according to officials.

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NEWS ANALYSIS

Canadian travellers puzzled over pot

Canada’s full legalisation of marijuana began with a lot of hoopla and no small amount of confusion, as hundreds of thousands of law-abiding citizens lined up for hours before midnight in each of the nation’s six time zones to buy their first ever legally-sanctioned, government-approved ration of pot. Milan Korcok has the details The date will go down in history – 17 October 2018 – as the first time any G20 nation embraced full marijuana legalisation. It will also be remembered by Canadian consumers as a day of foul-ups, with stores running out of product within hours, shipments running short and behind schedule, police shutting down unlicensed stores, and coincidentallyscheduled rotating postal service strikes crippling online pot deliveries, to the frustration of impatient consumers. As deliberately as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government planned for an organised launch of its cardinal legislative achievement (leading up to next year’s national election), it found to its dismay that pioneers not only get glory, they often discover contingencies

they didn’t expect. And with Canadians being inveterate travellers, as well as some of the developed world’s most committed marijuana users (40 per cent claim some history of use, and 10 per cent have used it within the past year), expectations were high. Now it’s time to put those expectations in perspective – the main message being that legalisation is a domestic issue: to be kept at home. It doesn’t travel well. If you’re leaving the country (no matter which country), all bets are off. In short – no cannabis out, no cannabis in. When travelling out of the country, leave your stash at home.

to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations. Medical marijuana has been available under an earlier set of regulations since 2001, but the new cannabis law puts patients who travel in a paradoxical bind, as it stipulates:

more than 80 per cent of Canadians in most age groups buy private, supplemental medical insurance when they travel out of the country

with Canadians being inveterate travellers, as well as some of the developed world’s most committed marijuana users, expectations were high No exceptions This holds just as true for hundreds of thousands of Canadians on medical marijuana registry lists who have been authorised by their physicians to receive cannabis medications under the Access

“Carrying any cannabis product (legal or illegal) across Canada’s border will remain a serious criminal offence, with individuals convicted of engaging in such activities liable for prosecution.” That means the possibility of jail time. Given that more than 80 per cent of Canadians in most age groups buy private, supplemental medical insurance when they travel out of the country, the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada (THiA) has been on the front line explaining the new rules, and some of their idiosyncracies, through the nation’s media. Citing results from a recent travellers’ survey produced by THiA, the Association’s outgoing President and

current Executive Director Will McAleer noted that 22 per cent of survey respondents believe they can pack their medical marijuana in carry-on baggage just like any other prescription drug, regardless of where they are travelling. The survey also shows that almost 34 per cent of boomer-age (born between 1946 and 1964) survey respondents are unaware that they can run into serious problems at the US border if they are travelling with marijuana that is legal in their province, to a state where it is also legal. At present more than half of all states have legalised marijuana to some degree – some (among them Florida, New York and Arizona) only for medical use, others (among them California, Hawaii, Nevada, Washington and Massachussetts) for recreational use as well. The ban on travelling with marijuana will affect senior Canadians especially heavily, as they constitute the legions of snowbirds who travel south at the first hints of winter and nestle mostly in Florida, Arizona, South Texas and California for up to 182 days per year (the maximum allowed by US immigration rules). Because many of them travel on medically-underwritten policies, with sixmonth supplies of authorised medications

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NEWS ANALYSIS covered by their provincial insurance, they will be unable to continue their regimen of cannabis medications and, as a last resort, may have to contact local physicians authorised to prescribe them. If they can make such connections, they will have to pay both for the physicians’ assessment and for medications prescribed. The law’s the law US federal law controls the nation’s borders. And federal law decrees that all cannabis products, even those devoid of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol – the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis) are classified as Schedule 1 Controlled Substances (no currently accepted medical use and high potential for abuse), and cannot legally be brought into the country. That includes cannabis-laced cookies, gummies, beverages, even THC-free oils and tinctures sold over the counter and online for aches and pains. Once in the states of their choice, Canadian travellers can be guided by local laws. And for those needing cannabis products for therapeutic purposes, there are dispensaries prepared to guide them through the process of being assessed and put into the charge of a physician registered to prescribe cannabis. It may cost around CA$200 to $250 for the assessment and some substantial amounts for the medications, but that’s a far smaller payout than being caught bootlegging one’s own medications from Canada. A pot prototype for the US? In the American media, Canada’s legalisation process has received even more attention, space and airtime than the fractious free trade negotiations between the US, Mexico and Canada. In addition, Canadian cannabis production and distribution companies with billion-

dollar-plus valuations are traded on major US exchanges and are ultimately designed to feed and nourish American cannabis commercial enterprises once the federal restraint on marijuana is eased or eliminated – which even diehard opponents of legalisation admit is all but inevitable. The size of the Canadian marijuana market may be respectable, but it pales in comparison to the potential market in the US and Europe, all of which are scrutinising how Canada handles its rollout. It’s worth noting that one of the US Congress’ strongest opponents of marijuana legalisation while he was Speaker of the House, Congressman John Boehner, is now, after retiring from the government, the highest profile prolegalisation advocate in the US, having joined the board of directors of Tilray, the hottest recent entry to the roster of cannabis companies in North America. Boehner, notorious for his chain-smoking (tobacco) while Speaker, has declared himself ‘all in on marijuana’ and has been joined on Tilray’s board by former governor of Massachussetts Bill Weld –whose state has recently gone legal for recreational as well as medical use.

reports have speculated that US Customs and Border Patrol agents will be interrogating Canadians about their history of marijuana use Border officials deny hardline interrogations Recently, media on both sides of the border have floated stories claiming that Canadian cannabis industry workers, or even cannabis investors, have been targeted by US Customs and Border

Protection officers and barred from entering the country. Other reports have speculated that CBP agents will be interrogating Canadians about their history of marijuana use and sending them home if they get the wrong answers. Border officials, aware that tourism from Canada contributes some $20 billion to the American economy annually, have tamped down such fears, but where the decision to allow entry to any applicant is left to the discretion of an individual officer operating within general guidelines, it’s hard to convince some southbound travellers that they are immune from intrusive interrogation. In response to concerns about cannabis workers visiting the US, the CBP website has confirmed that so long as these workers are visiting for non-cannabis

purposes, they are welcome in the US The advisory states: “A Canadian citizen working or facilitating the proliferation of the legal marijuana industry in Canada, coming to the US for reasons unrelated to the marijuana industry, will generally be admissible to the US; however, if the traveller is found to be coming to the US for a reason related to the marijuana industry, they may be deemed inadmissible.” CBP officials interviewed by various media have also left a pretty consistent message – although not a formal policy statement – that border agents are not going to interrogate all inbound Canadian visitors about their marijuana use histories but might ask them if they intend to buy or use marijuana while in the US and warn them of the potential consequences. However, they will always be expected to practice due diligence if they sense a situation calling for it – a clear message that approaching a border control point with a vehicle reeking of pot might be unwise for any traveller seeking permission to enter. For Canadians, who must deal not only with US laws but their own, there are only a few straightforward rules to commit to memory: • Taking marijuana or any cannabis product that may be legal in Alberta, Quebec, Nova Scotia or any other province out of Canada is a criminal offence, subject to prosecution. That includes any cannabis-derived medication legally authorised or prescribed by a doctor in Canada. • If you can smoke it, eat it, drink it, or spray it on any sensitive area of your body and it contains or is derived from cannabis, you are not allowed to take it across the US border, even to a state where it’s legal, even if it’s the hottest new product circulating among fashionable millennials in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York or Miami. • If you locate a really exotic brand of marijuana buds or cannabis oils at an unbelievably low price at a shop in Colorado or California and you’re dying to share it with your friends in Calgary, suppress your urge. Canada’s law forbids it and you could go to jail. It’s simple really: No cannabis out, no cannabis in. When travelling out of the country, leave your stash at home. No exceptions. ■

COMPANY BRIEF

New solution from Generali UK Generali UK has announced the launch of a new business travel insurance and assistance solution, designed to help UK employers support travelling employees, meeting their duty of care responsibilities

there’s clearly scope for growth.”

The product, supported by Generali’s wholly owned travel assistance company Europ Assistance, offers 24/7 multilingual global assistance, as well as essential cover elements such as accidental death or disability caused by an accident; emergency medical expenses and transportation; travel, medical and security assistance; loss of luggage, ID cards or travel documents (whether accidentally lost or stolen); and personal liability. “Importantly, the launch of Global Travel Protection helps open up life / non-life cross-selling opportunities for UK brokers,” said Simon Thomas, Generali’s Director of UK Employee Benefits. “Our research shows that business travel insurance represents the top benefit managed centrally from the head offices of mid-sized UK organisations: over and above flexible benefits, employee benefits for expatriates and employee assistance programmes.” He pointed out that two-thirds of companies currently offer business travel insurance: “Considering its role in duty of care and travel risk mitigation,

Digital doctor Generali Global Health (GGH), meanwhile, recently announced the launch of its new My Digital Doctor app, which grants its members access to an international network of multilingual doctors, 24 hours a day, wherever they are in the world. The service, facilitated by global healthcare provider Advance Medical, allows members to schedule phone and video consultations via the app using a smartphone or tablet. It can be utilised to discuss any primary care issue, from a cold to an ongoing mental health condition; additionally, members can use the app to co-ordinate ongoing

treatment, review plans with specific doctors, see test results and access general guidance for better health and wellbeing. The app can issue prescriptions and referral letters, and members can use it to upload images or other files where necessary. According to GGH CEO Marco Giacomelli, the app’s previous iteration achieved an average customer rating of 9.8 out of 10. Other features of the service include access to an employment assistance programme and second medical opinion service; genomic profiling tests for cancer; and Bria wellness, which helps individual members to identify potential health risks and take preventative steps to avoid them coming to pass.

Insurtech launch for Traveller Assist Medical assistance and cost containment provider Traveller Assist has announced the launch of Payr, a new insurtech platform facilitating the quick and efficient payment of medical bills abroad. The platform combines insurtech, fintech and blockchain, as well as extensive industry knowledge, to pay medical bills and other travel related expenses on behalf of travel and health insurers. Its global network of accounts allows payments to be made and received with over 75 different currencies across over 120 countries; insurers pay in their own country, using their own local currency, with providers paid in their own country, using their own local currency. The smart technology linking the various payment nodes means that no money

A product for All Seasons All Seasons Underwriting Agencies Ltd (ASUA) has announced the launch of a new travel insurance product, specifically tailored for incoming visitors to the UK and mainland Europe. The travel insurance provider noted a burgeoning need for a high-quality product, particularly for those travelling from countries where the local insurance infrastructure is less well developed; the new Visit UK solution has been developed with an eye on the potential for overseas visitors to the UK needing to pay for treatment under the National Health Service, similar to those heading to both Schengen and non-Schengen countries in Europe. ASUA’s Lloyd’s-backed solution exceeds minimum Schengen Visa requirements and its benefits are comparable to those enjoyed by travellers from the UK. “Our vision is to provide travellers to the UK irrespective of where they come from with the highest level of security and customer service,” commented Alex Sharp, Managing Director of ASUA. “Visit UK delivers on this promise and is as much an assistance and welfare proposition as it is a travel insurance policy. We feel this product can give the UK inbound travel industry a big competitive advantage as well as creating a valuable additional income stream.”

Chubb offers enhanced business cover

actually needs to cross any borders. “In an age of digital disruption, our clients are constantly looking for new ways to increase their product offering and reduce their fees,” commented Xavier Durand, interim CEO of Luxembourg-based Payr Financial Services, which is now the parent company of Traveller Assist. “Payr does both. It has significantly reduced banking and currency exchange fees on both sides of the transaction. Both payers and providers benefit.” Going forward, Traveller Assist’s Managing Director Jonathan Bancroft explained, Traveller Assist will continue to operate independently, providing its clients with medical assistance services, while Payr will focus on strategies related to cost containment.

Chubb, a global provider of personal accident and supplemental health insurance, has announced the launch of its Enhanced Business Travel Smart Insurance in Hong Kong. The product has been designed to help home-grown conglomerates, small and medium-sized enterprises and multinationals to meet their duty of care requirements in an ever-more globalised business environment, in which workforces are increasingly mobile. Among the enhancements offered as part of the new product are a waiver of the age limit for policy issuance and renewal, the inclusion of cover for travel delays that result from something beyond the control of the airline, coverage for hairline fracture caused by an accident, an extension of cover up to pre-32nd week for expectant mothers, and extension of the 100-per-cent unused medical

limit for follow-up treatments for one year. The insurance, when purchased, is accompanied by the Chubb Travel Smart mobile app, an online risk management dashboard that provides business travellers with medical and travel information. It also allows security and human resources managers to locate and send messages to their employees, wherever they happen to be. “Our Enhanced Business Travel Smart Insurance is well suited to meet the risk mitigation requirements of growing companies where employees are required to travel near and far,” commented Stanley Wong, Chubb’s Country President of general insurance in Hong Kong. “The product enhancements and mobile app bear testament to our agility in responding to the changing needs in business travel and an increasingly mobile workforce.”

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COMPANY BRIEF

Insurtech omni:us closes funding round Berlin-based insurtech omni:us, which utilises artificial intelligence (AI) to help the insurance industry adapt its offering and better meet customer expectations, has announced the closing of a Series A funding round. This round brings the total amount of investment that omni:us has achieved to US$22.5 million. The investment round was led by Target Global, a venture capital firm based in Berlin. Also involved were MMC Ventures and Talis Capital, as well as Unbound and Anthemis, the latter companies both existing investors. Major insurance entities such as Allianz and AmTrust have made use of the AI platform and expertise offered by omni:us, as have smaller insurtechs such as Wefox. “Insurance carriers are undergoing a once in a generation technology shift, embracing new digital core platforms and adopting best-in-class digitisation and analytics,” commented Dan Bailey, Investment Manager at MMC Ventures. “omni:us is delivering AI capabilities that allow insurers to embrace digitisation, improve the efficiency of their claims process and deliver better customer experiences. [CEO] Sofie Quidenus-Wahlforss and her co-founders have assembled a world-class team, and we’re delighted to be backing them in their vision of bringing AI to the insurance industry.” Speaking about the potential of the omni:us platform, Mike Lobanov, General Partner at Target Global, commented: “[Its] functionality is tested to provide best-in-class quality in claims digitalisation and is already used by a number of C leading players in Europe. With our M focus on insurtech we could not go past companies that use AI to provide a Y better, quicker and more reliable service CM to customers of insurance companies, MY specifically when it comes to claims CY settlement – the moment when the customer values the interaction with CMY insurance companies most. We believe K automated claims handling will become a new standard in the insurance industry that will substantially cut costs and make insurance more affordable to customers.”

Cover Genius and Rentalcars expand partnership

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26.09.2016

Cover Genius, an insurtech company with bases in London, New York and Sydney, has announced that it has expanded its partnership with online car rental company Rentalcars.com. Cover Genius became the rental company’s preferred insurance partner back in 2015; under the new terms of the partnership, Rentalcars.com will now have access to the Cover Genius Xclaim API, a technology platform that enables instant claim payments in over 90 different currencies. The payment solution, specifically designed for use by travel companies and other online businesses that have branched out into insurance-based products and services, will be used by Rentalcars as a supplement to

18:07

the end-to-end capability that Cover Genius already provides, which enables online business entities to quickly and smoothly roll out and sell personal or commercial insurance. “Our Xcover technology is configurable for any line of insurance,” commented Angus McDonald, CEO and co-Founder of Cover Genius, “making it simple, quick and accessible for global travel eCommerce businesses to push a new insurance product live. One way of looking at the technology is to compare setting up an insurance framework in the traditional way, requiring dozens of staff to establish incorporated companies and associated licences and compliance activities, versus a single elegant API call.”

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COMPANY BRIEF

Aggregator aims to promote diversity Quotezone.co.uk, a UK-based insurance aggregator, has announced the launch of a new scholarship programme for UK higher education students, designed to help to promote a greater level of diversity in the insurance sector. It is hoped that the scholarship will drive candidates from a wider field of study to take on careers in insurance. Greg Wilson, Founder of the insurtech firm, said that Quotezone ‘is keen to connect with students that may never have considered a career in fintech’: “While tech companies like ours continue to need computer scientists, and many financial services companies depend on finance graduates, the fintech sector also has a lot to gain from attracting a diversity of other skillsets to the industry, whether that’s law students, liberal arts majors, engineers, philosophy scholars or life scientists. In fact, I graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering,

Trov integrates Apple Pay and Google Pay

which many of today’s university students might not view as a typical entry point to a successful career in fintech. That’s why our new scholarship programme is specifically designed for students that may never have considered a career in this sector.” The initiative has been praised by a number of senior figures in politics, business and academia, including a member of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, who said: “In 2016 the Economic Secretary to the Treasury announced the appointment of fintech envoys for Scotland to help grow the sector; while this growth has become a reality it appears it may have outstripped the supply of persons with the necessary digital skills. Thus, the announcement by Quotezone that it is to launch a fintech scholarship for undergraduate and postgraduate students in the UK is to be welcomed.”

On-demand insurance provider Trov has announced that its mobile app is now fully compatible with Apply Pay and Google Pay. This integration will now allow Trov’s customers to utilise biometric identification, such as Touch ID and Face ID, to set up and manage payments made via their account. “Traditional insurance policies often involve complicated paperwork and lengthy contracts for consumers, but Trov is set out to address these challenges and make protection of personal items more convenient and flexible with intuitive technology,” said a spokesperson for the company. “As one of the only few insurtech companies now using Google Pay and Apple Pay, it makes it even easier

for users to turn on insurance coverage while on the go, eliminating the need to manually enter card payment details. In addition to the ease of use, another

Traditional insurance policies often involve complicated paperwork and lengthy contracts for consumers reason Trov integrated with Apple Pay and Google Pay is the added security. Apple Pay and Google Pay both encrypt users’ financial information, so that merchants never see any personal payment data.”

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COMPANY BRIEF

Alexa, conclude my insurance contract German insurtech Deutsche Familienversicherung, which recently became the first German insurer to make its policies available for purchase via Amazon’s personal assistant Alexa, has extended this advancement, now allowing the fully digital conclusion of insurance contracts via the assistant. This was prevented previously due to a lack of compatibility between Amazon Echo and Amazon Pay, but it will now be possible for customers with an Alexa to seamlessly conclude a contract that they have purchased from Deutsche Familienversicherung. Dr Stefan M. Knoll, Founder and CEO of the insurtech, commented: “Through our

Blink partners with Blue Cross in Canada Insurtech Blink has announced a new partnership with Blue Cross Canassurance, through which the companies will launch a new travel insurance solution in Canada

intensive collaboration with Amazon and Amazon Pay, and thanks to our proprietary IT platform which is a highly modern event and java-based portfolio management system, we have finally succeeded in making the fully digital conclusion of contracts using Amazon Echo a reality. The customer can now not only receive advice from Alexa but can also simultaneously conclude an insurance within only a few seconds. We are starting with our foreign travel health insurance, will continue with our liability insurance and will be gradually adding [other] products.” According to a recent study published by Adcubum, nearly one in five Germans under the age of 35 have expressed

enthusiasm about the idea of concluding an insurance contract via an Amazon Alexa or equivalent digital personal assistant. So, while some concerns have been expressed about the use of digital assistants for insurance purposes – insurers such as Zurich and Allianz do offer information via Siri, Alexa et al but have drawn the line at contract finalisation due to legal worries – it seems that this is the general direction of travel for consumers. “The increasing digital habits of our customers demand such service adjustments,” said Dr Knoll, speaking at the recent Insurtech Connect event in Las Vegas. “This will change the industry sustainably.”

IT HAPPENED. Let’s make things better.

Blink’s tech solution involves the provision of data-driven flight disruption insurance. Through the new partnership, Blue Cross Canassurance will expand its own product offering to include real-time coverage for airline passengers whose flights are disrupted. In order to provide this coverage, the insurer will utilise Blink’s platform, which tracks flight delays and automatically provides policyholders with cash payments, or access to hotel rooms or airport languages where necessary.

Canada’s travel insurance industry is ripe for innovation “Canada’s travel insurance industry is ripe for innovation,” said Gary Andrews, Blink’s Canadian representative. “To be able to deliver real-time travel insurance benefits that remove the stress and anxiety while travelling, along with eliminating the hassle of completing claims forms, is now the new normal. The Blink approach of partnering with insurers like Blue Cross Canassurance is going to transform the industry.” Sylvain Charbonneau, President and CEO of the Blue Cross Canassurance Group, commented: “We are excited to be the first travel insurance company in Canada to offer this innovative solution to our customers. Technology is key to providing a unique customer experience and we believe Blink’s platform is best in class for delivering true innovation in travel insurance.”

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INSURANCE MATTERS

Insurance and technology According to analysis from global law firm Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC), 2017 saw a 40-per-cent jump in the number of insurtech patents being filed worldwide RPC found that 917 insurtech patents were filed globally last year, compared with 657 in 2016. American insurer Allstate Insurance filed the most patents (35), closely followed by State Farm (34), while Ping An Insurance of China was also well represented in the statistics, filing 23 patents. Among the patents filed were a mobile app that promises to make it easier and quicker for people affected by natural disasters to file claims, and a system that checks whether a self-driving car is moving autonomously and automatically switches between the relevant insurance policies. Top trends among patents included telematics (with 78 telematics-related patents filed last year compared with 56 in 2016), peer-topeer insurance and machine learning. “The rising number of insurtech patents shows just how important technology now is to insurers in increasing efficiency,

insurers are failing to exploit technology to its fullest potential, with their service offering – and customer satisfaction – suffering as a consequence. The data analysts and industry platform

The rising number of insurtech patents shows just how important technology now is to insurers in increasing efficiency, delivering a better user experience and developing brand new products delivering a better user experience and developing brand new products,” said Mark Crichard, Partner at RPC. “Insurtech is touching all areas of the market, from peer-to-peer retail insurance products to ever more sophisticated risk analysis capabilities. Whether engaging in proprietary R&D or collaborating with smaller players, protecting intellectual property rights by securing patents is clearly essential to secure that [insurers have] that first mover advantage and stay ahead of the competition.” The surge in filings, said RPC, is part of a five-year trend; they have reportedly increased by 116 per cent from 2013, when just 425 were filed. Playing catch up Not everybody is embracing technology fast enough, however, with new research from Consumer Intelligence and The Digital Insurer suggesting that UK

officially unveiled their joint research at TDI’s Global LIVEFEST recently; according to the results, 81 per cent of consumers have said that insurers could make improvements to the way in which they use technology, while 42 per cent bluntly suggested that the insurance industry is old-fashioned and out of date. Answers about buying habits seem to support the idea that technology is the way forward; 82 per cent of respondents said that they preferred to research products like insurance online, while 80 per cent said that they were happy to update their personal details online, and 79 per cent said that in general, technology makes their lives better. Only 23 per cent said that they preferred to make use of call centres or brokers when purchasing insurance. Interestingly, British customers were significantly less likely to opt for call centres or brokers; 59 per cent of US customers said that they try to avoid online

purchasing and research channels. “We all need insurance, but insurance needs to change – and fast,” said Simon Phipps, Head of Asia and Blockchain at The Digital Insurer. “Our purpose as a business is to help accelerate the digital transformation of insurance. We do this by working with the industry and, sometimes delivering the tough messages that customers want to be heard. We partnered with Consumer Intelligence this year to gain a better understanding of how customers are feeling about their digital experience with insurers compared to other sectors. The UK results

UK insurance customers have a cynical view when it comes to the digital experience should be another wake-up call for UK insurers – change quicker or else.” Ian Hughes, CEO of Consumer

Intelligence, warned that the results show trust in the UK’s insurance industry is ‘at an all-time low’: “UK insurance customers have a cynical view when it comes to the digital experience. Their view is that insurance companies are executing digital not for the benefit of customers, but to increase profit margins. [They] are also clearly unimpressed with the digital offerings of providers, and the message to companies is clear – they need to raise their tech game. In fact, insurers ranked second from the bottom, just ahead of furniture and homeware companies, when ranking the quality of their online and digital services.” While the insurance industry is certainly taking steps to upgrade its offering and face the digital revolution head on, this research shows that there is clearly a way to go – at the level of customer expectation, as much as anything – and we can only hope that the appropriate lessons are learned.

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INSURANCE MATTERS

The tech giants cometh US-based home insurer Travelers has announced a new partnership with online retail behemoth Amazon, the first of its kind between Amazon and an insurer Travelers will now sell discounted home security sensor devices to its home insurance policyholders via Amazon, as well as providing insurance and risk management information services via what the company describes as ‘the insurance industry’s first digital storefront’. Customers will be able to purchase smart home kits that include security cameras, water sensors, motion detectors, a wireless ‘smart hub’ that connects to various smart devices, and an Amazon Echo Dot. Purchasing a kit will also give customers a discount on their home insurance policy. Additionally, Travelers has developed a number of new ‘skills’ for Amazon Alexa, which can help customers with billing and offer tips on home maintenance and safety. “Smart home technology is making it easier for all of us to monitor our homes and help protect us from some of the most common causes of damage,” said Michael Klein, Executive Vice-President and President of Personal Insurance at Travelers. “Our Amazon digital storefront conveniently brings together smart home devices, installation services, discounts and insurance knowledge in one central location to help our customers and agents manage risk and take a more proactive approach to home safety.” There has been some consternation in the insurance industry about tech giants such

as Amazon and Google encroaching on its territory, and the potential disruption this could bring. This tie-up seems on the face of it a fairly benign example of how relationships between such tech entities and insurers could work, though it remains to be seen whether more partnerships of this type will be entered into, and how many will flourish. Don’t forget Google Amazon is not the only corporate giant moving into insurance, however. Following Google’s recent investment in a minority stake of Applied Systems,

which providers insurance technology and cloud-based software, the company has hinted that it will likely look for other

Smart home technology is making it easier for all of us to monitor our homes and help protect us from some of the most common causes of damage insurtech companies in which to invest. “We really like the market,” said Jesse Wedler of CapitalG, Google parent company Alphabet’s growth equity

investment arm. “We will definitely be looking for additional investments in the insurance technology space.” The Applied Systems investment was carried out by CapitalG, which also led financing initiatives for companies like Airbnb and Lyft. Applied Systems will now have access to the tech behemoth’s expertise in the realms of AI, machine learning and digital marketing – and it has assured suspicious customers that Google will not have access to any customer data. Google, meanwhile, has said that any further investments it makes in insurtech entities will be on a complementary basis to Applied Systems, rather than a competitive one. The company will be on the lookout for platforms that ‘add insurance technology to the market,’ added Wedler: “Broadly speaking, the software businesses addressing the insurance market are interesting to us.” In terms of how Applied Systems plans to utilise the reported nine-figure investment it has received from Google, its Senior Vice-President of international operations Joe Purdy said that the company could be looking at further acquisitions of its own, specifically in Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. “Commonwealth countries are interesting to us,” he said, “where the legal systems, language and broker distribution is similar. Australia, New Zealand and South Africa would all align well.” However, Applied Systems has said that it will only move forward with acquisitions if they fit with its strategic ambitions, suggesting a cautious approach.

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Let’s get digital, digital Mark Colonnese, Director of Aquarium Software, offers his expert opinion on digital claims and claims automation in insurance, and how the process is being transformed with the advent of innovative technologies and big data Using technology in claims automation is nothing new, but the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) is accelerating the process as increasing numbers recognise its value in streamlining efficiencies and delivering an enhanced customer journey. AI, in its purest sense, is about taking basic tasks such as reading an invoice or medical history and handling them without the need for human intervention. The more that mundane repetitive tasks can be automated, the faster the salient information can be extracted to the benefit of the customer. Crucially, it also allows the highly skilled claims assessors to focus in on the real value-add tasks they potentially otherwise would not have had time to investigate properly. Claims processing data can be supplied in a multitude of formats, and where once this would have to be re-keyed in manually, AI allows such work to be completed faster and more accurately than ever, delivering

We are already seeing a lot of innovation in this field in the travel insurance sector greater granularity of information and reducing the risk of human error when establishing material facts. At the simpler end of the spectrum, AI centres around rules-based auto-adjudication, enabling rapid claims validation and settlement based on defined business rules.

AI, automating sometimes complex but narrowly defined tasks with great effectiveness. Where more complex broader discussions are required, or where a claimant is distressed because of an incident abroad, for example – thanks to the effective use of AI – operators are freed up to give the fullest practical or emotional support to their customers in their crucial moment of need and distress.

AI means that valid claims can be quickly identified and paid in seconds, without the need for human intervention Effective use of AI is all about continuous learning, so employing such technology requires some degree of system training and machine learning. Over time, however, the more AI is involved, the more

Broad benefits for all Insurers can reap the benefits of the significant process cost savings of

it will learn and improve – identifying fraud, and adjusting its approaches based on learned experiences. While a positive customer journey is a vital consideration, speed of claim matters more than ever (one could argue that is a positive customer journey). AI means that valid claims can be quickly identified and paid in seconds, without the need for human intervention – delivering an efficiency of service no human alone could hope to match. An essential element Automation is becoming ever more essential, because as consumers switch onto the benefits, they will be making the switch to those providers who can offer the benefits these new systems can bring. We are already seeing a lot of innovation in this field in the travel insurance sector

and we are only at the beginning of what will be a revolution in the way insurance products and services are delivered. Insurers will have to offer it to stay relevant, and it also offers options for greater personalisation of product, which today’s tech-savvy customers are looking for. One size does not always fit all, and bespoke products have the potential to drive growth and profitability. Computer says yes One challenge that must be noted is the need to avoid falling foul of over-automation – trying to automate things that can’t or shouldn’t be automated, avoiding the ‘computer says no’ scenario and the risk of the resultant negative headlines. Besides, it’s worth remembering that in those real ‘moment of truth’ claim situations, it’s human emotional intelligence that really makes the difference where longterm customer loyalty is concerned. More prosaically, for larger corporates, integration with legacy systems and interfacing with other business divisions and territories are just a few of the practical challenges. But none of these potential hurdles are insurmountable, as long as technology deployment is planned and resourced correctly. The future of claims automation Greater claims automation and fraud profiling is clearly the future. We will undoubtedly see more auto-settlement for low-value, high-volume claims in particular, but this is only the beginning.

It’s human emotional intelligence that really makes the difference The requirement for human staff engaged in labour intensive tasks will reduce, and with that will go the fatigue of doing the same job repetitively over and over again. This should lead to a happier workforce able to concentrate on more fulfilling and profitable work; more satisfied customers will be the natural by-product, with faster, more accurate initial assessment and more positive outcomes for all.

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INSURANCE MATTERS

Artificial Intelligence. About the only thing it can’t do for you…is the travel itself!! Admittedly, we are getting just a little ahead of ourselves here. But AI is taking huge strides forward, particularly in the field of claims automation. Today, AI is making customers’ lives easier by accelerating and streamlining the process of everything from buying, upgrading and renewing, to processing claims in seconds. For insurers, the advances are even greater, with the opportunity to grow while reducing overheads and, at the same time, free up customer service agents to provide that personal touch when it really makes a massive diﬀerence. As for tomorrow, AI will be identifying fraud, finessing its approaches based on self-learning, and providing the means for much smarter customer interactions. But for now, you can find out everything you need to know about digital claims automation…with Aquarium.

INSURANCE MATTERS

Big moves for Ping An China-based Ping An Insurance Group is reportedly on the hunt for acquisitions in the European market, with a particular focus on Germany This is according to the insurance and financial services entity’s Innovations Chief Jonathan Larsen, speaking at a recent conference in Munich. Ping An, which invests significant amounts annually in digital startups, sees Germany as the heart of Europe’s insurtech market. Insurers in Europe, while generally supportive of the entry of insurtechs into the market, are reportedly suspicious of the possibility of major Chinese insurers expanding their digital and insurance operations into the continent, seeing them as a potential threat. Ping An, which generated US$85 billion in revenue in the first half of this year, has built an extensive, intricate network of technology partners, subsidiaries and other partner entities in China, which serve as a solid bedrock for a major expansion of digital operations. It owns the biggest private health insurer in China, as well as a provider of cloud services, a credit reporting firm and Ping An Good Doctor, its own online clinical healthcare platform, which has over 230 million users. European institutions are apparently wary of the potential impact of a business model such as this, particularly if they were to become tailored

specifically for the European market. “Ping An is creating vertically integrated online to offline offerings in the growing healthcare and fintech industries to sustain revenue growth,” commented Paul Schulte, Founder of Schulte Research International. Any moves that Ping An makes in Europe will no doubt be carefully timed and executed with caution; 10 years ago, it dipped its toes into the European market

with the acquisition of a five-per-cent stake in Fortis Group, which subsequently collapsed, leading to the Chinese company having to write off $2.3 billion. Tech, tech and more tech Ping An has also said that it plans to significantly increase its investments in the fintech and medtech spheres over the next decade. Speaking at a recent company Investor Day, a senior management figure

said that Ping An would be spending approximately $14.4 billion on research into financial and medical technologies over the next 10 years, more than doubling the $7 billion that it has spent in these areas over the past decade. Chen Xinying, Ping An’s Deputy Chief Executive, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Information Officer, said that the company planned to incorporate developments in artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and cloud computing into its five ‘ecosystems’ – financial services, healthcare services, automotive services, real estate services and smart urban services – on an ongoing basis. Currently, she added, the business employs over 1,000 experts in the field of AI, working across five AI research institutions, as well as 10 joint research institutions. Ping An has already benefited from the investments it has made in technology over the last 10 years, including offering automated insurance claims that can be processed inside of a single day, and a healthcare services platform powered

the business employs over 1,000 experts in the field of AI by AI. The company also claims that its financial cloud platform Ping An Cloud is the biggest and most widely used platform of its type operating in China.

Munich Re partners with Plug and Play German reinsurance company Munich Re has announced that it has entered into an insurtech partnership with Silicon Valleybased startup accelerator Plug and Play. Through the partnership, Munich Re will engage in collaborative practices with upand-coming insurtech startups in China. Plug and Play Insurtech effectively acts as an intermediary between emerging startups and established corporate entities, facilitating partnerships where a new offering could potentially complement an insurer’s established service provision. Any startups that are accepted into this new programme will receive funding from Plug and Play Ventures and be granted access to Munich Re’s resources. “We have successfully collaborated with Plug and Play through our innovation lab in Silicon Valley and this new agreement extends our efforts to cultivate innovation in the insurance industry in China,” commented Tobias Farny, Munich Re’s Chief Executive for the Asia Pacific, Greater China, Australia and New Zealand regions. “It comes at an exciting

time when China has truly established itself as a technology leader in a number of areas such as e-payments, artificial intelligence, robotics and machine learning, all of which are having a significant impact on the future of the insurance industry.” Willis Towers Watson and MSIG Insurance have also recently announced expanded partnerships with Plug and Play. Earlier this year, the accelerator announced the inaugural 16 startups that it had selected to join its ‘Insurtech Europe powered by Plug and Play’ scheme, including Bleenco, Digital Fineprint, FairFleet, LexaTexer, omni:us, RightIndem, Slice and Xapix. “Plug and Play has been working with startups for 12 years and is active in over 20 locations globally,” said Saeed Amidi, Founder and CEO of Plug and Play. “Our goal is to match startups to corporations based on their interests to create mutually beneficial partnerships that embody the Plug and Play spirit of open innovation. We are excited to introduce these companies into our ecosystem in Munich and help them grow.”

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September a costly month for disasters The most recent Global Catastrophe Recap report from Aon’s Impact Forecasting Team reveals that natural catastrophes cost the global economy ‘tens of billions’ in September Two tropical cyclones that hit the US – Tropical Storms Gordon and Florence – alone resulted in projected economic losses of at least $10 billion, with insured losses likely to reach the low billions due to a low level of flood insurance penetration. Japan, meanwhile, suffered the wrath of Typhoon Jebi, with nearly 486,000 insurance claims filed as a result and a multi-billion-dollar payout expected. Super Typhoon Mangkhut caused damage in China, the Philippines and Hong Kong, with local insurance industries expected to pay out at least $1 billion if not more. Major earthquakes were also registered in Sulawesi Island and on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, with total economic damage from the former expected to reach or exceed $1 billion, and over 12,000 insurance claims filed for the latter. The world also saw significant flooding and tornadoes across the month. “September will be recorded as the costliest month so far of 2018, as global economic losses from natural catastrophes are expected to reach into the tens of billions of dollars,” said meteorologist Steve Bowen, Director of Impact Forecasting. “A series of significant catastrophes were poised to cause tens of billions in economic damage. Each of these events were also noteworthy

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since the majority of losses are likely to be uninsured. This once again highlights that whether a country is considered mature or emerging, there continue to be gaps in insurance coverage on either a

September will be recorded as the costliest month so far of 2018 market-wide or individual peril basis. As natural peril risks increase, it becomes even more important to close those gaps to help people in the recovery process.”

Global advisory, broking and solutions company Willis Towers Watson has announced that it will be providing Ticker, a new telematics-based insurer set to launch early next year, with access to the latest iteration of its Radar pricing software. Ticker will make use of Radar Live and Radar Base to improve the consistency, accuracy and sophistication of its pricing and underwriting, granting the startup increased agility as it seeks to assert its presence as a next-generation provider. As Ticker prepares to launch, Willis has been providing software support, including developing advanced management dashboards for maintenance and associated tasks. Additionally, it has been acting in an advisory capacity, helping the startup to identify pricing and underwriting challenges and come up with solutions.

“In an increasingly competitive market, Radar delivers a simplified and efficient process, giving insurers a sophisticated platform to make quick informed pricing decisions,” commented Tim Rourke, Willis Towers Watson’s Director of Insurance Consulting and Technology. “This capability is critical for startups as they adjust their rate in the early stages in order to refine their rate book and meet their growth aspirations. By automating repetitive manual tasks, Radar frees up valuable resources to concentrate on applying the latest analytical techniques to all available data, including data produced by Ticker’s innovative new telematics technology. This delivers an unprecedented understanding of risk, greater efficiency and accuracy of rate deployment in a volatile industry where new exposures are constantly emerging.”

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TRAVEL MATTERS

Deaths linked to Spanish painkiller Spain’s national medicaments agency, AEMPS, has warned doctors and chemists not to prescribe drugs containing metamizole to foreign tourists, writes David Ing It comes after The Sunday Times newspaper in the UK reported that there were links between the medication, which is widely used in leading holiday destination Spain, and the deaths of 10 British citizens. Sold under a variety of branded and generic labels, it is supposed to be prescribed only on doctors’ orders. But the pills can be bought over the counter at pharmacies and are also commonly used in Latin America. The AEMPS released a statement on 6 November stating that one of the possible adverse reactions to metamizole is agranulocytosis, an acute condition involving a severe and dangerous leucopenia – a low white blood cell count. Those who suffer from it have a high risk of developing serious infections due to their natural immune system being suppressed. According to data released by Spain’s National Health System, the use of the medication had doubled in the past 10 years, with a 14.6-million to 22.8-million rise in sales in the five years up to 2017. The AEMPS said that the drug should not be prescribed to patients where their cases cannot be submitted to follow-up checks – as is the case with tourists – and especially to older people or those

US travel habits analysed

undergoing long-term treatments. Metamizole is already banned in a number of countries, among them the US, the UK, Japan and Sweden. AEMPS said there had been discussions over various years about whether there is a ‘greater susceptibility to agranulocytosis in the population of northern Europe’,

metamizole is supposed to be prescribed only on doctors’ orders, but the pills can be bought over the counter at pharmacies and are also commonly used in Latin America but that ‘with the information available it cannot be ruled out or confirmed that there is a greater risk in populations with specific ethnic characteristics’. According to the Sunday Times investigation, at least 10 British people died after taking the painkiller, while more than 100 others, including Irish citizens, had suffered ‘devastating side effects’ such as amputations.

According to Allianz Global Assistance, Europe remains a highly favoured destination for American travellers, with holiday travel to the continent up by more than 20 per cent this year The top 20 destinations in Europe saw airline ticket sales increase by an average of 26 per cent this year compared with last year, almost triple the nine-per-cent increase registered between 2016 and 2017. Three of those destinations, Barcelona, Zurich and Lisbon, registered growth of over 50 per cent – 50.2 per cent, 54.8 per cent and a staggering 103.2 per cent respectively. Allianz analysed travel data for bookings over the peak holiday travel season for Americans, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, and found that total ticket purchases had increased by 22.5 per cent this year compared with the equivalent period in 2017. London, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam and Madrid remained the top five European destinations for US travellers from last year. Unsurprisingly, Lisbon registered the biggest overall shift in its ranking, rising from the 21st to the 12th most popular spot. “We’re pleased to see that American interest in European travel has continued to grow over the past year,” said Daniel Durazo, Director of Marketing and Communications at Allianz Global Assistance USA. “With flights cheaper and more accessible than ever, we expect Europe to continue to gain in popularity as a holiday travel destination among Americans for some time to come.” Domestic and inward travel increases According to the latest Travel Trends Index from the US Travel Association (USTA), the last year has seen travel both within

and to the US increase, with September this year marking the 105th consecutive month of growth. The organisation found that in the 12 months to September 2018, US travel grew by 1.6 per cent. However, USTA has warned that this growth is likely to level off sooner or later. In August, the business travel segment registered a faster growth rate than the leisure segment; however, this has since plateaued, with domestic travel in September almost entirely accounted for by leisure travel (which registered a 1.8-per-cent growth rate). The international aspect of travel showed year-onyear growth of nearly 4.5 per cent, but USTA warned that because inbound travel dropped

The top 20 destinations in Europe saw airline ticket sales increase by an average of 26 per cent this year sharply by 2.2 per cent in September last year, any improvement observed in the year since could seem more notable than it actually is. The organisation expects that across the next six months, the market will not expand much further. “We’re seeing something of a perfect storm of factors that could suppress international demand for travel to the US,” said David Huether, Senior Vice-President for Research at USTA. “The US dollar has been on another very robust strengthening trend since April of this year, while the global economy has been cooling off considerably overall. That, coupled with political uncertainty in Europe and rising trade tensions, is a bad news recipe for inbound travel.”

Canadians are staying in Canada A Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada (THiA) survey has found that Canadians are favouring domestic travel over travel to the US. According to the 2018 Smart Travellers survey, despite recent reports that travel between Canada and the US has not suffered the ‘Trump slump’ that many projected, 42 per cent of Canadians are planning to travel within their own country, while only 19 per cent plan to head to the US for a holiday. When quizzed about how much of an influence the political climate in the US has had on their travel plans, 57 per cent of respondents said that they were less likely to take a trip to their neighbour. Other factors cited by survey respondents included currency conversion, with 59 per cent of Canadians saying that the exchange rate was influencing their travel decisions.

Concerningly, 19 per cent of Canadians said that they had, at some point, intentionally provided inaccurate information on a travel health insurance medical questionnaire. When asked why, 58 per cent said that they had done so in order to save money on their policy. “The US has historically been Canada’s largest travel destination,” said THiA’s Executive Director, Will McAleer. “These results are consistent with Statistics Canada data showing a five-month decline in travel to the US. Our survey shows that many Canadian travellers will be exploring travel options within our borders.”

TRAVEL MATTERS

Danger and safety Global risk and security consultancy Drum Cussac has released its 2019 Country Risk Map, illustrating which countries around the world are the most and least risky

vaccinations or boosters required, and no major outbreaks of dangerous diseases. In terms of natural disasters, Barbados was found to be the lowest risk destination,

Sixty-three per cent of security profesionals are of the opinion that travel has generally become a riskier proposition over the last year

Sixty-three per cent of security profesionals are of the opinion that travel has generally become a riskier proposition over the last year, according to recent polling from Ipsos MORI, so Drum Cussac believes that a resource such as this is timely and useful. The company’s Intelligence and Analysis Services team gave each listed country a rating for 20 possible risk categories, such as political stability, access to medicine, standard of infrastructure and frequency of natural disasters. The highest risk countries were found to be Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Libya and the Republic of South Sudan, while the country that posed the lowest risk was found to be Aruba. “Unsurprisingly, the Middle East and North Africa emerge as the most highrisk locations for travellers,” said Drum Cussac in a release accompanying the launch of the map, “with much of Africa and Central America also posing threats. Countries from these regions also dominate the individual category rankings, with Syria and the Republic of South Sudan appearing in the top infrastructural, medical and political risk lists as well as the overall top 10 risky destinations.” On the flip side, the company added: “For countries with a population of more than one million, Singapore, Taiwan and Uruguay emerge as the lowest risk nations, making them the potentially safest destinations for travellers.” On the other hand… According to Which? Travel, some popular holiday spots in Europe and the US are riskier for travellers than some areas of, for example, the Middle East and North Africa. The UK-based consumer watchdog has pulled together data on crime rates, the possibility of terrorism, health issues and the likelihood of natural disasters for 20 countries, utilising statistics from the World Economic Fund, the World Risk Report and the UK Foreign Office, and identified some of the safest countries for a holiday that tourists might not expect. Which? found that Iceland and Japan were the countries where a traveller would be least likely to encounter a terrorist attack; Iceland was also the country where the risk of violent crime was found to be the lowest, followed by the UAE and Singapore. France, Italy, Iceland, Spain, Canada, Japan, the US and UAE were found to pose the lowest risk of health issues, with no new

followed by Iceland and the UAE. The worst destinations in terms of crime rates were South Africa, Turkey, OneCall-ITIJ195_ad.pdf Thailand, 1 28/03/2017 India16:15 and Mexico.

“Of the 20 holiday destinations that we looked at, Iceland, unsurprisingly, came out as the safest country,” said Which?. “The UAE and Singapore were also considered extremely safe, with Spain the next safest of the six popular European holiday destinations that we looked at. [In terms of health] all five Western European countries we looked at were low risk, as were the UAE, Japan and the US. The National Health Service does not advise vaccinations for any of them or warn of any specific risks. [In terms of natural disasters] the riskiest country was earthquake-afflicted Japan, which, while considered extremely safe by most measures, had a natural disaster risk of 13.47 per cent.”

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Safety concerns for female business travellers

Best winter holiday destinations

According to new research from the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) and AIG Travel, a worrying 83 per cent of women have experienced at least one safety-related incident while travelling for business over the past 12 months The research also found that 90 per cent of female business travellers said that safety concerns had impacted the choice of activities they opted to pursue during leisure hours while travelling for business; that 86 per cent had changed booking behaviours as a result of safety concerns, i.e. only booking daytime flights or a central location for accommodation; that 84 per cent cited an impact on where they agree to travel for business; that 81 per cent had altered the frequency of their business trips; and that 80 per cent had found that safety concerns had impacted their productivity while travelling for business. “As a travel safety advocate and as part of our organisation’s commitment to educate travellers, AIG Travel feels it is important to shine a light on the unique travel considerations faced by women,” commented Rhonda Sloan, Head of Marketing and Industry Relations at AIG Travel. “The research findings show that many female business travellers are aware of and concerned about the challenges they may face while travelling for work, while employers still have plenty of room to provide more guidance and resources to help women minimise those risks and experience safer travels.” The top concerns cited by respondents to the research were general safety (78 per cent),

sexual harassment and assault (72 per cent), travelling to specific destinations (68 per cent) and assault or kidnapping (65 per cent). As a result of these, many respondents reported modifying their behaviours; this could include keeping in regular communication with their office, friends or family (58 per cent); only staying in accommodation that was known to them, such as a familiar hotel (56 per cent); and sharing their itinerary with family or friends (51 per cent). Eighty-one per cent of respondents said that they considered rental cars to be safe, compared with only 53 per cent who thought the same of ride shares. Employers, take note “High levels of concern have a tangible impact on business travel for women,” said Amanda Cecil, Senior Vice-President of Professional Development and Research for GBTA. “Previous GBTA research has shown the immense impact travel experience

can have on productivity and business results while on the road. Ultimately, all travellers want to be productive and get business done, so understanding the specific risks female travellers face on the road can allow travel buyers to play a critical role in addressing these concerns.” This is where the likes of managed travel

Personal finance website WalletHub has released its 2018’s Best Winter Holiday Destinations report, with a focus on cost and convenience, and has revealed that the top three cold US destinations for winter travel are Chicago, Washington and Atlanta. WalletHub compared nearly 70 of the largest US metro areas grouped by warm and cold weather, analysing each destination based on 36 key metrics, including the expense and hassle of travelling to each location, weather forecasts, safety and variety of activities. The report found that the average flight to a popular cold winter destination costs US$279.09, lasts three hours and 32 minutes and has 0.27 connections. Chicago, Illinois, and Columbus, Ohio, were found to have the lowest price for a three-star hotel room at $42, while New York was found to be the cold destination with the most restaurants per square root of population – 7.42.

High levels of concern have a tangible impact on business travel for women programmes come in; but while 83 per cent of research respondents said that they believe their employer cares about their safety while travelling, 68 per cent said that they thought more could be done specifically to address women’s concerns. However, according to a recent survey of travel buyers, only 18 per cent report having such gender-specific policies in place.

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New research into volcanic ash Volcanologists from the University of Manchester in the UK have conducted new research that could help to reduce the effect of volcanic ash on air travel, as well as human health and other critical infrastructure. The 2010 eruption of Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull caused widespread chaos, with airports closed, flights grounded and passengers stranded in multiple countries, with many having to – or trying to – call upon their travel insurers for help. “[The eruption] highlighted to the whole world that ash-rich volcanic eruptions can have a major impact on the global economy through air space closures designed to minimise the risk of jet engine failure due to

Poll highlights Brexit ignorance A new poll conducted by cruise companies Scenic and Emerald Waterways has found that a worrying proportion of British travellers are ignorant of the potential impact of Brexit on travel to Europe. According to the survey, most Brits have made no moves to prepare themselves for the impact of Brexit, with 78 per cent saying they haven’t researched the potential consequences of the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU) on their travel plans. Seventy-one per cent of people, meanwhile, expressed total ignorance about possible changes to passport regulations and the major issues this could pose to holidaymakers. Only 11 per cent of people planning a European trip next year have pre-emptively renewed their passport – the UK Government has advised adults and children to renew passports if they are valid for less than six months at the time of a trip – and just nine per cent have checked their insurers’ Brexit-related Ts and Cs. There is, at least, some awareness that Brexit could cause disruption, with 31 per cent of respondents saying they will avoid travelling to EU countries between the end of March and mid-April, as that is the official time when Britain will leave the EU. Twenty-six per cent have also said they would consider not travelling to certain EU countries due to Brexit uncertainty. British travellers’ top 10 fears surrounding European travel in the aftermath of Brexit, according to the survey, are: the falling strength of the pound (51 per cent); rising prices of flights (48 per cent); access to healthcare (46 per cent); insurance price hikes (46 per cent); accommodation price hikes (45 per cent); general uncertainty about what will happen (42 per cent); delays and other travel complications (41 per cent); visa requirements (37 per cent); the possibility of not being able to enter certain countries (35 per cent); and aircraft being grounded (29 per cent). “We talk to our customers all the time but wanted a clearer picture of how much they really understood about Brexit and how it may affect holiday plans, which is why we commissioned this survey,” commented a spokesman for the cruise companies. “The results have made us realise that Britain needs to wake up.” Chance would be a fine thing – a fine thing indeed.

ash clogging,” said Professor Mike Burton, Chair in Volcanology at the university. The research, published in Scientific Reports, makes use of a special camera developed at the university, which measures the speed and flow of ash as it emerges from a volcanic plume. The ‘AshCam’ allowed researchers to measure how particles of ash interact with sunlight, changing its polarisation – through this method, the potential path of an ash cloud can be projected, and models developed to deal with the issue more efficiently by only closing airports where necessary, rather than opting for widespread precautionary closures.

“Models of ash dispersion are key to forecasting the concentrations of ash during an eruption, which ultimately determine which air space is closed,” said Professor Burton. “Our research helps to measure the dynamics of ash fallout during an eruption, giving us new insights into volcanic ash dynamics and providing an important step towards improved models of ash dispersion.” Usefully, the AshCam is small, light and relatively inexpensive, which makes it ideal for use in dangerous volcanic environments into which it may not be practical or safe to take larger, more expensive items of equipment.

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Business travel affects mental health A new survey by International SOS and Kingston University suggests that business travel can have a considerable negative impact on mental health The survey, which took in 200 international business travellers, found that 45 per cent of respondents reported feeling more stressed than usual while on work trips. Thirty-one per cent said that they experienced emotional exhaustion while travelling on such trips, while around 25 per cent said that they found issues like anxiety and depression were more prevalent, compared with leisure travel. Additionally, 76 per cent of respondents said that they were less likely to remember to eat in a balanced manner and take exercise while travelling for business, and 73 per cent said that their sleep was of a worse quality than when at home.

about risky behaviours, and found some similarly concerning results: 46 per cent of respondents said that they were more likely to consume unsafe amounts of alcohol, while 35 per cent said they were more likely to visit a nightclub or bar, 33 per cent said they were more likely to head to an area they knew to be unsafe, and nine per cent said that they would be more likely to embark upon a new sexual relationship. Only two per cent said that they were more likely to have unprotected intercourse or make use of illegal drugs than they would be at home. “The business opportunities associated with international travel are undisputed, but research suggests that frequent travellers make three times as many claims for psychological treatment compared to those who don’t travel on business regularly,” said International SOS Foundation Director Kai Boschmann. “To safeguard business continuity,

The business opportunities associated with international travel are undisputed, but research suggests that frequent travellers make three times as many claims for psychological treatment compared to those who don’t travel on business regularly A significant proportion of respondents also stated that they tended to work much longer hours while travelling. The survey included some questions

as well as fulfilling duty of care obligations, organisations need to better understand how they can protect the mental health and physical wellbeing

Trending destinations ranked International travel website Kayak has published a list of the five top trending travel destinations for international tourists The data is based on internet searches by travellers planning a trip for January 2019. The Bahamas was at the top of the list, with a 111-per-cent year-on-year increase in searches for trips, according to Kayak. Florence, Italy was next, with a 73-per-cent increase, followed by Palm Springs, California (47 per cent), Cartagena, Colombia (45 per cent) and finally Jamaica (30 per cent). Jamaican tourism authorities were pleased with the result, saying that it reflects the increasing international

of their employees while travelling.” It’s not all bad news, though – 67 per cent of survey respondents reported feeling more engaged with their jobs while travelling for business, and 59 per cent stated that they saw it as an opportunity to enjoy a bit of freedom from their home life (although arguably this could be seen as being somewhat unhealthy). Leisure travel, however… A new study from US-based non-profit AARP Travel, which examines the health and wellness benefits of leisure travel, has found that those who travel regularly report improved emotional and physical

health and better relationships and productivity at work. The study also found that improved wellness was not just noted during travel, but also during the initial planning of the trip and extending beyond its end. Respondents also reported that their relationships with their loved ones were improved by travel, with an average of an extra six weeks of rosiness reported. Of the different demographics studied, 56 per cent of ‘boomers’ – i.e. those aged 50 and above – reported that they felt health and wellness benefits during their trip, while 73 per cent noted at least one benefit after a trip ended. One in five said that they experienced an equal amount of wellness benefits before and after their trip. Millennials, meanwhile, experienced notably improved wellness during the planning stages (23 per cent). Of the wellness benefits noted by boomers after a trip, 51 per cent reported better sleep, and 46 per cent reported increased energy. “This research shows there are many health and wellness benefits during all stages of travel across generations, and seeing those benefits significantly improves their satisfaction with the trip,” said Alison Bryant, AARP Research Senior Vice-President. “Any type of travel, whether it’s a weekend getaway or a week-long trip, can be an effective way to renew and recharge and the benefits far outweigh the short-lived drawbacks.”

Investing in sustainable tourism

appeal of the Caribbean island, and the efforts that have been put into making it an attractive destination for tourists. “This is an indicator that Jamaica’s tourism remains robust and sought after and we are committed to ensuring that our visitors and locals alike are safe as they enjoy what the island has to offer,” said Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett. “Jamaica is already poised for another record year of growth in arrivals and earnings and I believe that this will only add to our projections. For the first six months of 2018, we recorded a 4.7-per-cent increase in arrivals to bring total arrivals for the period to a record near three million, and by the end of the year earnings are expected to reach US$3.3 billion.” Three international tourism organisations have declared a strategic partnership, through which they plan to collaborate and invest on driving sustainable tourism and developing resistance in the face of the many potential crises facing the sector. The newly formed International Tourism and Investment Conference, the Resilience and Crisis Management Foundation and the Mediterranean Global Centre for Tourism announced their new partnership at the conference’s launch event in early November in London, UK. Dr Taleb Rifai, former Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organization and now Chairman of the conference’s advisory board, commented: “We cannot work alone. We have to work together if we want to achieve anything. We can find synergies. That’s how our industry can become something. Why is investing important in our industry? It’s because it’s investing in all our futures.” Tourism, he said, is not just a business sector accounting for over seven per cent

of global GDP and one in 10 jobs: “It’s more than just that. It’s touching people’s lives. It’s connecting people together.” The event featured a number of speakers, including Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Malta – where tourism accounts for 27 per cent of GDP and 28 per cent of jobs – who said that tourism needed to be developed with the full participation of local populations, rather than merely establishing five-star gated institutions for rich foreigners. She said that tourism needed to foster education and work opportunities, enabling local people to reach their full potential. “Policies in tourism must be a response to the grassroots realities of our communities,” she said. “To ensure we manage to find the right balance with increasing pressure of ‘overtourism’, sustainable tourism is the only way forward.” The first full International Tourism and Investment Conference (ITIC – hmm, sounds familiar…) will take place next November in London.

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HEALTH MATTERS

British Dengue in Spain holidaymaker dies from rabies Tiger mosquito spread leads to Spain’s first domestic case, writes David Ing

Health officials have said that a British holidaymaker has died after contracting rabies in Morocco. According to Public Health England (PHE), the infection was caused by a cat bite. PHE has issued a reminder to travellers to avoid coming into contact with animals when in rabies-affected countries. It said that although there is no risk to the wider public in relation to this case, as a precautionary measure, health workers and close contacts are being assessed and offered vaccination when necessary. Rabies is passed on through injuries such as bites and scratches from an infected animal. It does not circulate in either wild or domestic animals in the UK, although some species of bats can carry a rabies-like virus. It is common in other parts of the world, especially in Asia and Africa, and travellers to rabies-affected countries are advised to avoid contact with dogs, cats and other animals wherever possible, and seek advice about the need for rabies vaccine prior to travel. If bitten, the wound should immediately be washed with soap and water and local medical advice sought without delay. Further details about the Briton’s death have not been released. Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisations at PHE, said: “This is an important reminder of the precautions people should take when travelling to countries where rabies is present.”

More than two-thirds of the 45 municipal districts in Murcia, a region at the centre of the first cases of domestically-spread dengue to be detected in Spain, have breeding populations of the Tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) that carries the virus. The figure was revealed by DirectorGeneral of public health José Carlos Vicente López on 14 November, in a statement to the regional government

assembly on the virus (which was originally reported at the start of October). The first patients, members of the same family, out of a total of five who have been confirmed as suffering dengue, had been travelling around southern Spain, he said: “They moved around different places and it is most likely that contagion took place in the west of [the neighbouring region of] Andalucia, although it cannot be ruled out that it happened in Murcia.” Public places were already being monitored and fumigated following the Zika scare that started in Brazil in 2016, another virus

Ebola in DRC to be contained According to an update from the World Health Organization, new measures taken in response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are having a positive impact The Ministry of Health (MoH), WHO and partners are confident that the outbreak can be contained. The report states that, during the reporting period of 7-13 November, 31 new confirmed Ebola cases were reported from Beni, Mutwanga, Kalunguta, Butembo, Vuhovi, Kyondo and Musienene and, as of 13 November, 341 cases had been reported, including 215 deaths, in 11 health zones in North Kivu Province and three health zones in Ituri Province. WHO also stated that the risk of the outbreak spreading to other provinces in the DRC, as well as to neighbouring countries, remains very high. The vaccination of health and frontline workers at priority sites in Uganda began on 7 November, and preparations are ongoing

propagated by the Tiger. The main danger came from humid sites on private land. As part of an ongoing national plan to track the spread of the mosquito,

Under a national Ministry of Health preparation and response plan, health professionals have been alerted to keep a look out for further cases in the future breeding had been detected in 31 of 45 districts in the region, said Vicente López. Most of the insects appeared between May and October, but because of Murcia’s warm Mediterranean location in south east Spain, they could be found there as late as December. Under a national Ministry of Health preparation and response plan, health professionals have been alerted to keep a look out for further cases in the future. Those cases reported so far had been ‘light’ ones, although the director-general warned that there is a possibility of a more serious strain developing. The flu-like symptoms of dengue usually occur between three to 14 days after being bitten. Aedes albopictus has been extending its range around the popular holiday areas of the western Mediterranean in recent years. Similar sporadic cases of locally-transmitted dengue have been reported from France and Italy since 2010, so its occurrence in Spain ‘was foreseeable’, according to Vicente López.

Cases rise in measles epidemic in Brazil

for the vaccination of health and frontline workers in Rwanda and South Sudan. Response measures have been strengthened, with priorities including co-ordinating the response, surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory capacity, infection prevention and control, clinical management of patients, vaccination, risk communication and community

WHO has advised against any restriction of travel to the DRC based on the information that is currently available engagement, psychosocial support, safe and dignified burials, cross-border surveillance and preparedness activities in neighbouring provinces and countries. WHO has advised against any restriction of travel to the DRC based on the information that is currently available. It said that it is continuing to closely monitor and, if necessary, verify travel and trade measures in relation to this event.

According to government data, the measles epidemic currently affecting Brazil’s northern states of Amazonas and Roirama has reached a total number of cases of 2,192 and caused 12 deaths. The data also shows that another almost 8,000 cases are still to be confirmed. Reactive vaccination campaigns that have been ongoing since the beginning of the year are continuing. In neighbouring country Argentina, measles reports are many times lower but health authorities in Buenos Aires are concerned

about the ‘active viral circulation’ occurring in two health districts and said that ‘at least three transmission chains were identified, without having been able to find the source of infection in any of them’. Advice for travellers is that they should check their immunisation status for measles – the disease occurs in developed and developing countries and unvaccinated travellers are at particular risk. Although infection tends to be benign in many cases, it can result in severe illness, or even death.

Polio warning updated in five countries The polio outbreak warning has been updated in five countries, with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) having issued Level 2 travel alerts for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Somalia and Syria. The Level 2 warning signifies a need to practice enhanced precautions. In Nigeria, the Ministry of Health has reported several cases of poliovirus in the state of Borno in northeastern Nigeria. Polio is a viral infection that is vaccine preventable and the CDC has therefore recommended that all travellers to Nigeria be fully vaccinated against the disease. This also applies to all travellers to the other four countries experiencing an outbreak; and may be necessary even if travellers were

vaccinated as a child or have been sick with polio before. In addition to vaccination, travellers should ensure good personal hygiene and follow advice on prevention of food and water-borne diseases. Most individuals who acquire polio don’t develop symptoms, but when symptoms do occur they may range from a mild illness with fever, to symptoms of meningitis or paralysis. Paralysis is rare, but when it does occur, it is often long-lasting.

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A new high in TBE cases in Switzerland A 30-per-cent rise in tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in Switzerland this year has prompted health authorities to consider broadening vaccination recommendations against the disease to ‘entire cantons or even for the whole country’. There have been 334 recorded infections this year, which constitutes a new high in case numbers, suggesting that current vaccination coverage may be inadequate. TBE is a viral infection that can cause fever, vomiting, cramps and prolonged paralysis. In rare instances, infection can be fatal.

Travellers planning to spend time in areas where the disease is endemic, which includes forested areas of Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, Northern China, and Mongolia, may be at risk. Safe and effective vaccines are available in Europe and the Swiss Health Ministry has recommended vaccination for the disease. Travellers visiting an area where TBE is found should consider having the TBE vaccine. Two injections can protect for around a year, while a third infection gives protection for around three years. The first injection is required at least one month before travel.

Honduras horror: dengue on the rise There has recently been a sharp increase in dengue fever cases in Honduras in Central America, many of which have reportedly been in the category of severe dengue. Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease that has no specific treatment; it is therefore important that travellers to areas where the infection is found try to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. Symptoms tend to develop suddenly four to 10 days after being infected, with symptoms including fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, feeling sick and loss of appetite. In Honduras, six departments – Cortés, Tegucigalpa, Yoro, Atlántida, Olancho

and Comayagua – have been hit hardest following recent rains. It has been reported that the rainy season reactivated a series of hatcheries, leading to new mosquito populations. According to the Ministry of Health, there has been an increase of 1,000 dengue cases during the last four weeks. In order to reduce the risk of being bitten, travellers can use insect repellent, wear loose but protective clothing, sleep under a mosquito net and be aware of their environment. In addition, they can speak to their general practitioner before travelling to get specific advice about what they can do to avoid dengue and other travel illnesses.

HEALTH MATTERS

Australia eliminates rubella

CDC warns of travel risks The most recent US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) travellers’ health update says that key health risks that travellers should be looking out for this holiday season are Zika and measles

The World Health Organization has announced that Australia has eliminated rubella. Greg Hunt, Minister for Health, said that this is a highly significant public health accomplishment for the country. The disease, which is also known as German measles, is a contagious viral illness that causes a fever, rash and swollen lymph glands. In pregnancy, it can cause miscarriage or stillbirth. Hunt said that the achievement is testament to the success of Australia’s National Immunisation Program and that the elimination of the disease stands as proof of the power and necessity of vaccinations. “The elimination of rubella is a great day for public health in Australia and sends a

powerful message that vaccinations work,” he said. “The science is in and the medical experts’ advice is absolute – vaccinations save lives and protect lives and they are an essential part of a healthy society.” Australia’s current National Immunisation Program provides free vaccination for protection against rubella for children aged 12 months, with a booster at 18 months. WHO also confirmed that Australia has maintained its measles elimination status, having been verified in 2014. Hunt highlighted the fact that measles and rubella are very contagious and remain endemic in many countries and said that it is important for travellers to remain vigilant and keep their vaccinations up to date.

The CDC said that many countries in the Caribbean, Central and South America, Africa and Asia are at risk of Zika and that travellers should check their destination and learn about recommendations, including taking steps to prevent mosquito bites. When it comes to measles, the CDC warned travellers that there are outbreaks of the disease in popular destinations in Europe, including the UK, Italy, Greece, France, Romania, Servia and Ukraine. It said that travellers should be up-to-date on measles and other routine vaccines. CDC also warned of other risks, including Super Typhoon Yutu, the earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia, rubella in Japan, monkeypox in Nigeria, and Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In order to stay healthy during this holiday season, CDC advises travellers to: learn about health concerns at their destination and make an appointment with a travel medicine specialist or healthcare provider at least one month before they leave to discuss any concerns and vaccines needed. They should also pack a travel

health kit, including prescription and overthe-counter medicines, sunscreen, alcoholbased hand sanitiser, first aid supplies, health insurance card, insect repellent and

as Benjamin Franklin said: “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” condoms, monitor travel warnings and alerts, and prepare for the unexpected. After all, as Benjamin Franklin said: “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

Travellers to US should refrain from romaine A new food safety alert from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises consumers in the US to avoid consuming romaine lettuce, and retailers and restaurants not to serve or sell any due to an outbreak of Escherichia coli. To date, 32 people infected with the outbreak strain of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 have been reported from 11 states, with illnesses starting on dates ranging from 8 October to 31 October. No deaths have been reported but 13 people have been hospitalised. According to epidemiologic evidence from the US and Canada, romaine lettuce is a likely source of the outbreak. The CDC has said that consumers who have any type of romaine lettuce in their home should not eat it and should throw it away, even if some of it was eaten and no one has fallen ill. This advice applies

to all types or uses of romaine lettuce, such as whole heads of romaine, hearts of romaine and bags and boxes of precut lettuce and salad mixes that contain romaine, including baby romaine, spring mix, and Caesar salad. In addition, the CDC advised that if consumers aren’t sure whether the lettuce is romaine, they should throw it away anyway to be on the safe side. Consumers are also advised to wash and sanitise drawers or shelves in refrigerators where romaine was stored. If travellers experience symptoms of an E. coli infection, which include severe stomach cramps, diarrhoea (often bloody) and vomiting, they should seek advice from a healthcare provider, write down what they ate in the week before they started to get sick, report their illness to the health department, and assist public health investigators by answering questions about their illness.

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HEALTH MATTERS

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FEATURE

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Building on associations Insurance industry bodies are collaborating with travel insurers to improve public perception of a complex product set. Anthony Harrington looks at how this is working in practice It is often pointed out with regret by specialist travel insurers that theirs is a product set that people find easy to buy and next to impossible to follow. Travel insurance tends to be a last-minute add-on to a holiday booking and few who buy it stop to consider just how large the pay-out could be in a worst-case scenario – or to ponder the exclusion clauses that such policies, by their very nature, include in the small print. Travel insurers are well aware of the fact that when they offer something like a £10-million limit on health cover as part of a travel insurance policy, there is a small chance that somewhere down the line that limit may well be tested for real. All it takes is for one traveller in tens of thousands to have a life-changing accident abroad, and the travel insurance provider will need to call on their reserves from the profits from a huge number of policy sales in order to settle the bills. Not surprisingly, then, travel insurers have to qualify the deal they are making with the customer. However, travellers tend to buy travel insurance without really believing that they will ever have to call

with regulatory travel insurance working groups (like the CCIR – Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators) or related to data collection processes between member insurers and regulators, THiA takes the time to liaise with all parties to ensure clear lines of communication. Beyond this, THiA also works proactively with provincial regulators in Canada by meeting with them on issues our members find of interest,” he said. THiA’s main focus over the past few years has been on its relationship with the CCIR travel insurance working group. “Our process is to keep in touch regularly with regional regulators to ensure that there are clean lines of communication and to ensure that we provide thoughts on upcoming legislative initiatives,” McAleer told ITIJ. THiA is interested both in legislative initiatives and in consumer-based activities that will help it and its members deliver on their commitments to the regulators. As always, these commitments have to do with ensuring that the travel insurance products offered by members are fair and reasonably clear.

THiA is interested both in legislative initiatives and in consumer-based activities that will help it and its members deliver on their commitments to the regulators upon the policy for anything more serious than a lost suitcase or a delayed flight, so often pay very little attention to the conditions, and exclusions, set out in their contract. This ‘gap’ in the travelling public’s perception of the product is something that various insurance professional bodies and associations around the world are well aware of. It is one of a number of issues that professional bodies have addressed and continue to address on behalf of their travel insurance members. Other issues addressed by the professional bodies include unfair competition and/ or damaging practices by some ‘fringe’ providers. They also liaise with the regulators on behalf of travel insurance providers. Working with regulators Will McAleer, past President of the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada (THiA) and President of Canada-based World Travel Protection, points out that THiA has a history of collaborating with regulators and other industry associations. “Whether it be in setting annual regulatory agendas, working

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“Recently, for instance, we have proposed several items to help raise the confidence of travellers in the travel insurance products they purchase,” said McAleer, “We launched the Travel Insurance Bill of Rights and Responsibilities (BORR) as part of an effort to meet this need.” McAleer explained that the Bill outlines the rights insured persons have when purchasing a policy, but it also seeks to be clear on the insured’s responsibilities, particularly the need to divulge existing medical conditions and to observe the exclusions stipulated in the policy. If the policy excludes bungie jumping, for example, which is a very common exclusion with travel insurance policies, it is very important that the insured realises that going bungie jumping will take them into territory that the policy does not cover. A spinal injury incurred as a result of leaping from a bridge over a gorge with a rubber band attached to their ankle could therefore be life changing both in terms of the individual’s physical capabilities and their financial health. If bungie jumping was a spur of the moment thing and not the main purpose of the holiday,

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FEATURE

the chances are that the insured will not even have read the bit in the policy that specifically excludes this activity from cover. The same goes for scuba diving and half a dozen other ‘dangerous’ activities that many travel insurers routinely exclude from the cover they provide. This form of customer education, then, is one of the key items that industry bodies and travel insurers have on their agenda. Public outreach The professional insurance bodies, insofar as they have travel insurers as members, tend to see it as at least in part their responsibility to educate the public in some of the basics surrounding travel insurance. They do this in consultation with travel insurers, but the campaigns generally run on the professional body’s website as well as in whatever media

travel agents – online purchasing of holidays, in effect, negates any of the explanations that travel agents generally provide concerning travel insurance. While travel agents in the UK can’t give product advice, since that is limited to regulated financial advisors, they can remind travellers of the basics, such as the need to read policy exclusion clauses and accurately answer questions about pre-existing medical conditions. The ABI has tried to address this, Campbell points out, by introducing cartoon-style animated explanations of the key points around travel insurance on its website. “Travel policies tend to be bought on price alone, without much attention being paid by the purchaser as to whether the policy is appropriate or even covers the country they are travelling to,” he said.

the ABI does a great deal of advocacy work with the general public on behalf of its travel insurer members the professional body can reach. Charlie Campbell, Senior Policy Advisor at the UKbased Association of British Insurers (ABI), which represents about 70 per cent of the UK insurance market, points out that the ABI does a great deal of advocacy work with the general public on behalf of its travel insurer members. Its most recent initiative has been to come up with a way of solving the problem that large numbers of people today book their holidays online and don’t go anywhere near

Campbell adds that it is a difficult product, even for industry professionals: “There are continuing debates about how to view travel insurance. Is it a medical insurance product, with add-ons like flight cancellation clauses, or is it an all-encompassing product designed to pay out for every possible thing that can go wrong when you are travelling?” What the ABI has tried to do for its members and for the public, he explained, is to produce light-hearted, simple, engaging cartoon

content to try to provoke more understanding of and interest in travel insurance products. Dealing with pre-exes The various national regulators that oversee their general insurance industries are an entity that need to be considered in their own right. In the UK, for example, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is currently looking into whether the insurance industry is being fair to people who are medically disadvantaged, including people suffering from cancer. The FCA has launched a consultation on this very issue and it remains to be seen what the outcome will be. Of course, people with cancer are subject to the same risks as every other traveller, so penalising them seems harsh – if you are not a travel insurance provider. If you are, as Julie Remmington, a consultant who sits on the ABI’s travel insurance committee, points out, you will be only too aware of how difficult it is to recover from a high-value claim from such a traveller that relates to their condition. It follows that anything that skews the probabilities towards a massive claim is, to put it mildly, very disconcerting for the industry. Travel insurers want to pay out on legitimate claims, but the plain fact is that their business model can’t stand multiple, multi-million-dollar payouts to insured persons – not if the travel insurance provider wants to stay in business. As Remmington notes, there is a huge disparity between the cost of a travel insurance policy and the amount at stake for the provider. “If you have a UK traveller who has a heart attack in the US, the claim could be for hundreds of thousands of pounds. You have to sell a huge number of travel insurance policies just to break even from a single such loss,” she points out. So, the professional bodies will push back – in the nicest way – on behalf of their travel insurance members, against regulatory pressure to have some kind of open access policy to travel insurance for those with chronic medical conditions. Do away with exclusion clauses and no provider could afford to stay in the travel insurance game for long, and that would be detrimental to all travellers. Whether there is an actuarial solution capable of producing a viable business model for high-risk travellers is an interesting mathematical problem for someone to solve, but on the face of it one has to doubt that such a solution exists. For a start, Remmington points out that

already the industry has seen some highprofile withdrawals from the travel insurance game. “For a number of providers, travel insurance is accepted as an unprofitable business line that nevertheless has value because of its potential to introduce the purchaser to the brand, and so to other insurance lines, such as household, motor and life insurance,” she commented. It is seen as brand enhancing even as it takes a chunk of profit out of the bottom line. “The industry is struggling with the fact that travel insurance policies are cheaper today than they were 15 years ago, while medical costs have soared over the same period. This is a very hard circle for the industry to square.” Graeme Trudgill, Executive Director at the British Insurance Broker’s Association (BIBA), gave ITIJ his take on assisting customers with pre-existing medical conditions to find adequate and affordable cover: “As a UK trade body, we work with relevant UK brokers and insurers to improve access to travel insurance in the UK for people with medical conditions. We believe our Find-A-Broker service has a role to play here, as it did with the BIBA/ ABI/Government agreement on age and insurance,” he commented. This latter agreement, launched in 2012, helped signpost more than one-quarter of a million older holidaymakers to a specialist travel insurance broker with a track record in helping where the client had been unable to source cover elsewhere. “Collaborative projects like this can really make a difference to people who otherwise risk travelling uninsured or not going on holiday at all. We are sure we can do something similar to this in the travel medical condition sector. We are talking with the FCA and relevant stakeholders about how we can help,” Trudgill said. BIBA also partnered with Lloyd’s Syndicate DTW1991 to deliver a lecture in Lloyd’s Old Library this year to talk about the many evolving issues and areas of collaboration in travel insurance. “Travel insurance is continually in the media – whether it is following a hurricane, the financial failure of an airline, volcanic activity or terrorism. Issues like access to insurance for older people and those with medical conditions also create concern. So it is important that we have a mutual understanding of the market and the approach taken by insurers,” Trudgill concluded. ■

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PROFILE to a very high standard. I also handle relationships with some of our distribution partners, work to develop new markets, and am currently in Hong Kong for a few weeks to support the development of our proposition here in Asia. Your job requires you to co-ordinate with a varied range of partners and service providers. What would you say are the key elements of maintaining strong working relationships within such a complex network? Regular and good communication – especially face to face. There is sometimes a tendency to rely on e-mail and conference calls in our industry, but I think there is a danger that this can devalue and automatise relationships. You cannot beat face to face meetings for really establishing and building on relationships as well as accessing opportunities that would not be possible purely with remote communication. How in your view has the global health insurance landscape changed over the course of your career? On the positive side, the increase in competition can only be a good thing in terms of increasing choice for the customer, and as a result service has improved massively, especially in relation to greater access to centres of healthcare excellence and ease of claiming through digital developments such as online claims submission. However, the industry has been maturing quickly, and part of this is a change in focus I’ve seen from chasing innovation to a more measured attitude to development of products and services for customers. I think, therefore, that there is scope for businesses such as ours to make a difference in terms of innovative product design and service delivery, as well as taking far more of a ‘whole health’ approach for our customers. Insurers have historically been payers of claims when treatment is required but this is very reactive. The focus should be on health maintenance, identifying health risks and proactively addressing them before it gets to the point where people develop conditions that require treatment. Insurers need to start to be far more proactive in this regard, especially with the significant increases in non-communicable diseases.

Taking Taking stock stock Richard Lonsdale collecting Generali Global Health's 2018 ITIJ International Travel & Health Insurer of the year Award, with Gitte Bach of sponsor New Frontier Group

ITIJ caught up with Richard Lonsdale, Head of Client Services at Generali Global Health, to talk about the global health insurance landscape, 2018’s key developments and the challenges waiting in 2019

How did you first get started in the international health insurance industry, and how did you progress to your current position of Head of Client Services at Generali? After completing my degree, I started work at AXA PPP healthcare as a personal advisor on the front line. I handled claims and membership queries from members or their brokers, which was a great introduction into health insurance. After a couple of years, I was promoted to team manager, before making a switch to managing provider relationships as part of the network management team. This was a terrific experience and ultimately led to a move into international provider management with the – then relatively new – AXA PPP International team. I was selected to join a new venture with AXA Healthcare Management in Singapore, where we worked with local AXA entities to design, build and distribute international health

products through their local distribution. My focus was to build the medical network in Asia to support the proposition, but I ended up doing all manner of relationship management and development. When that came to an end, I returned to the UK and felt the time was right for a new challenge. I had been with AXA for 17 years by then and was fortunate that Generali Global Health was looking to establish itself as an IPMI insurer – I felt that the role was perfect for me to build on the good experience I had garnered over the previous years with AXA PPP. Can you describe a typical day in your role? Well, every day is different! Being a relatively new division of the Group and with a steep growth trajectory means that there are opportunities to be involved in a wide variety of different aspects of the business, which certainly ensures life isn’t dull! I work with a great client services team who handle all our clients’ and brokers’ needs

Congratulations to Generali Global Health on winning International Travel & Health Insurer of the Year at this year’s ITIJ Awards. What does this title mean to Generali and how do you plan to leverage the win going forward? This is a terrific win and certainly an

I think that there is scope for businesses such as ours to make a diﬀerence in terms of innovative product design and service delivery, as well as taking far more of a ‘whole health’ approach for our customers endorsement for all the hard work we have put in over the last three to four years. I think it really is a benchmark for us now – Generali Global Health is here for the long term and winning recognition from peers, clients and intermediaries needs to become something we continually strive to achieve to keep us fresh and vibrant in the industry.

As the year draws to a close, what would you say have been the key developments / trends in the global health insurance industry in 2018? The move from being purely a payer of claims to a wellness partner is how the industry must continue to develop and remain the focus of transformation. For our part we have significantly expanded our whole health approach. We have increased our digital solutions such as our wellness app Bria, which tracks healthy behaviours and allows you to set health goals and targets and enter challenges. This interfaces with a number of wearables and intuitively provides information on challenges to reach your health objectives. We’ve also added a telehealth app, My Digital Doctor, which enables members to access a qualified GP in their language from anywhere in the world through their mobile. We have built on this holistic approach by providing services like second medical opinion and genome testing for cancer treatment to ensure our members get the best health outcomes should they fall ill. However, insurers must ensure that they are supporting healthy behaviours and providing a support framework that promotes health maintenance in a way that is engaging and easy to access, as well as ensuring that, should the worst happen, access to care and optimum health outcomes can be achieved. And looking ahead to 2019, what are some of the main challenges facing the industry? I think we all need to relook at our proposition – we can be guilty of deciding that we know what the customer wants before they have had a chance to tell us, and as a result provide an answer before we have really considered the question. We need to rediscover our appetite for risk in terms of new products and new markets that traditionally have fallen outside what most IPMI players consider to be ‘normal’. At the moment, we as insurers tend to deliver broadly similar propositions, and they have not moved quickly to establish the changing needs of people when it comes to international health insurance provision. If the industry is to be progressive there should be moves to enter new markets and engage with local experts, which will bring its own challenges – how willing will we be to be so flexible and humble? What are the most challenging aspects of your job? Keeping clients and partners satisfied, having to look into the detail and really understanding their needs and, once identified, creating solutions that create real value for them. What are your proudest achievements, both professionally and personally? Collecting the ITIJ Award for best insurer obviously! Apart from that, being part of something great at Generali Global Health; building a really good medical network with fast and effective access; meeting and working with really good people; being married to a wonderful wife with two great kids. If you could do any other job in the world, what would it be and why? Cavalry officer in the Blues and Royals. Elan, fun, excitement and leading from the front. ■

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Ace Air & Ambulance (Pvt) Ltd. James Halsted, – Managing Director 2 Mount Road, Avondale, Harare, Zimbabwe +263 (4) 302 141 +263 (782) 999 901/2/3/4

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AIR AMBULANCE (ASIA-PACIFIC)

AIR AMBULANCE (AFRICA)

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Awesome Air Evac Shane Marais – General Manager

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885 Renmin Road, Huaihai China Building, Room 808, 200010 Shanghai, CHINA

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ER24

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LifeFlight

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Paul Tiba – Managing Director

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Zone Aviation Générale, 33700 Mérignac Cidex 05 FRANCE +335 56 34 02 14 +335 56 55 98 18

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Capital Air Ambulance

Alia MedFlight Scott Everson – Vice President

Lisa Humphries – Sales Director

9382 E Bahia Drive, Suite B202, Scottsdale, AZ 85260, USA

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

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602-800-7070 855-831-5092

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+44 845 055 2828 +44 1392 350 039

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CEGA Group

Asia Air Ambulance Mr. Toranit Sripal – Managing Director

Mr Nick Simon – Business Development Manager

Asia Air Ambulance Co. Ltd., Bangkok599/59 Ratchadaphisek Road, Jatujak, Bangkok 10900, THAILAND tel: +668 9896 9000 email: operations@asiaairambulance.com fax: +662 192 1801 website: www.asiaairambulance.com

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+ 44 (0) 1243 621 107 + (0) 1243 621 006

privaterepats@cegagroup.com cegagroup.com

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DRF Luftrettung / German Air Rescue

CareJet Anthony Decoste – President & CEO

Dr. Peter Huber – CEO

German Air Rescue – Claim-Variante rot / schwarz

Level 24 Robinsons Cyberscape Beta, Topaz & Ruby Roads, Ortigas Center, 1605 Pasig City, PHILIPPINES email: ops@carejet.com tel: +63 2 226 6911 website: carejet.com

Rita-Maiburg-Str. 2, D-70794 Filderstadt, GERMANY German Air Rescue

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+49 7007 3010 +49 7007 3119

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Air Alliance Medflight GmbH

Shik – Managing Director

Andreas Speich – Managing Director

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Aufm Hennekamp 71, 40225 Düsseldorf, GERMANY

+65 9836 3265 +65 6846 9542

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+49 (211) 917 499 38 +49 (211) 917 499 27

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European Air Ambulance

EMA Global Pte Ltd Dexter Tan – Business Development Director

Patrick Schomaker – Director Sales & Marketing

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Volker Lemke – Director Sales and Marketing CSO

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Jet-Rescue Air Ambulance

Dr Herve Raffin – General Manager

Carlos Salinas – CEO

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

+33 141 72 1414 +33 148 57 1010

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Latitude Air Ambulance Jesper Kragelund – Sales Manager

Diana Iaquinto – Director Sales & Medical Ops.

North Flying Terminal, Aalborg Airport, DK-9400, Nørresundby, DENMARK tel: +45 9632 2900 email: jkr@northflying.com website: www.northflying.com fax: +45 9632 2909

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Quick Air Jet Charter GmbH

REVA Inc

Philipp Schneider – Account Manager

Stuart Hayman – CEO 2101 W. Commercial Blvd., Suite 1500, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33309, USA tel: +1 954 730 9300 email: operations@flyreva.com fax: +1 954 485 6564 website: www.flyreva.com

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

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ops@quickair.de www.quickair.de

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Swiss Air-Rescue (Rega)

Skyservice Air Ambulance

Stefan Becker – Head of Corporate Development

David Ewing – Executive Vice-President, Global Markets

Rega-Center, PO Box 1414, CH-8058 Zurich, SWITZERLAND

Montreal/PE Trudeau Int Airport, 9785 Avenue Ryan, Montreal (Quebec), H9P 1A2, CANADA tel: +1 514 497 7000 email: alert@skyservice.com fax: +1 514 636 0096 website: www.skyserviceairambulance.com

stefan.becker@rega.ch www.rega.ch

email: website:

Tyrol Air Ambulance Manfred Helldoppler – Managing Director Fuerstenweg 180, A-6026 Innsbruck-Airport, AUSTRIA +43 512 22422 100 +43 512 288 888

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taa@taa.at www.taa.at

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AC Global Medical Transports

Milan Floribus – President 8775 Aero Drive, Ste 120, San Diego, CA 92123, USA +1 858 437 5131 +1 858 408 7856

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email: website:

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ASSISTANCE COMPANIES (AFRICA)

+41 44 654 33 11 +41 44 654 33 22

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NORTH AMERICA

privaterepats@cegagroup.com cegagroup.com

15421 Technology Dr. Brooksville, FL 34604, USA

Malteser Service Center

tel: fax:

email: website:

Global Jetcare, Inc.

Cumulusvej 10, 7190 Billund, DENMARK 24hr tel: fax:

+ 44 (0) 1243 621 107 + (0) 1243 621 006

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Aeromedevac Air Ambulance

AIMS Bernadette Breton – Chief Executive Officer AIMS House, 3 West St, Bryanston 2191, Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA tel: +27 11 783 0135 email: operations@aims.org.za fax: +27 11 783 2950 website: www.aims.org.za

AMREF Flying Doctors Dr Bettina Vadera – Medical Director Wilson Airport, Langata Road, PO Box 18617, Nairobi, KENYA tel: fax:

+254 20 6000 090 +254 20 344 170

email: website:

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CONNEX Assistance

Adam Williams – President

Dr Helmy El Tanahy – CEO

Gillespie Field Airport, 681 Kenney Street, El Cajon, CA 92020, USA

Office 11, Floor 1, 6 El Sad El Aali st, Dokki, Cairo, EGYPT

+(800) 462 0911 +(619) 284 7918

toll free: fax:

email: website:

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AirEvac International

+202 3 336 0005 +202 3 762 0003

email: website:

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Inter Secours Assistance

Raul Mendoza – President / CEO

Mr. EL MOUADDEN Abdelhamid – Directeur Général

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

8, Rue Grasset, Quartier des hôpitaux, CP 20360,Casablanca, MOROCCO tel: +212 5 22 46 72 22 fax: +212 5 22 26 00 27

tel: fax:

+1 619 754-6755 +1 619 330 4551

email: website:

info@aeiamericas.com www.aeiamericas.com

Alia MedFlight

email: website:

mouaden@isas.ma www.isas.ma

Medical Services Organisation (MSO) Scott Everson – Vice President

Brenda Durow – General Manager - Assistance

9382 E Bahia Drive, Suite B202, Scottsdale, AZ 85260, USA tel: fax:

602-800-7070 855-831-5092

email: website:

PO Box 1578, Gallo Manor, 2052, SOUTH AFRICA

ops@aliamedflight.com www.aliamedflight.com

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AA International Sharon Tan – Director ASIA +603 7965 3883 +603 7629 8288

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email: website:

AA International Indonesia Brandon Heng – CEO Tifa Building, 10th Floor, No.1003, Jl. Kuningan Barat 1 No. 26, Mampang Prapatan, Jakarta 12710, INDONESIA tel: 24/7:

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ASSISTANCE COMPANIES (ASIA-PACIFIC)

SERVICE DIRECTORY BrightCare Assist

Gloria Lee Carmen V. Matti – CEO 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 fax: (632) 224-4152 website: www.brightcare-assist.com

CareJet Anthony Decoste – President Level 24 Robinsons Cyberscape Beta, Topaz & Ruby Roads, Ortigas Center, 1605 Pasig City, PHILIPPINES email: ops@carejet.com tel: +63 2 226 6911 website: carejet.com

Covermore Assistance Online

AIG Travel

Wilson Chan – CEO

Martin Villarino – General Manager, AIG Travel Asia Pacific

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

Level 15 Menara Worldwide, 198 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA tel: +603 2772 5555 email: martin.villarino@aig.com fax: +603 2685 5673 website: aig.com/travel

EMA Global Pte Ltd

ASIAN TRAVEL AND MEDICAL SERVICES

Dexter Tan – Business Development Director

Rahul Gupta – Sr. Manager - International Business

1 Farrer Park Station Road, #15-18, Farrer Park Medical Centre, SINGAPORE 217562

131/1 , PICNIC GARDEN ROAD , KOLKATA - 700039 , INDIA 0091-9836309173 033-23440170

tel: fax:

tel:

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

email: website:

Unit 2314 Centuria Medical Makati, Century City, Kalayaan Ave. cor. Salamanca St. Brgy. Poblacion, Makati City - 1210, PHILIPPINES

Flat 2B, Jaivijay Apartment , 61 B Palm Avenue Kolkata – 700019 West Bengal, INDIA

24hr tel: fax:

arms@armsindia.com www.armsindia.com

email: website:

NRK Koishikawa Bldg., 1-21-14 Koishikawa, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-0002, JAPAN tel: fax:

info@alpine-rescue.com www.alpine-rescue.com

email: website:

KZT@ap-companies.com www.ap-companies.com

Global Assistance Partners Co.,Ltd.

AP Companies UZBEKISTAN

Gna KH CHUNG – CEO

Ilhom Sadikov – Business Development Manager

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

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email: website:

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

Regina Zheng – Operations Manager

Dr Yin – Chief Medical Officer

Unit 808/811, Level 8, No.88, Bai Zi Wan Nan Er Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, P.R.,100022 CHINA tel: +86 10 5815 1188 Ext. 812 email: regina@globaldoctor.com.au fax: +86 10 8775 9138 website: www.globaldoctor.com.au

No 29,3rd floor,35th Street, Kyauttada Township,Yangon, MYANMAR +95 979 584 3944

+82 1670 0722 +82 2 720 8839

Global Doctor China

Asian Assistance – Myanmar

tel:

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

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 fax: +62 21 299 78 9555/66 website: www.global-assistance.net

4, 148 Mamir, Auzovskiy region, Almati, KAZAKHSTAN

+9 987 123 890 41

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Alain Durand – President Director

Elmira Turmagambetova – General Manager

tel:

+81-(0)3-3811-7520 +81-(0)3-3811-7511

Global Assistance & Healthcare

AP Companies KAZAKHSTAN

+ 7 727 350 52 76

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

Takaaki Chiyo – Executive Officer, Head of Network Division

Mr. Ram Nepal – Executive Director Ekikaran Sadak, 16 Kha.2.37, Naya Bazar - 16, Kathmandu, Nepal, POBOX: 21100; NEPAL 24/7 tel: +977 1 436 2652 email: 24/7 fax: +977 1 442 5111 website:

email: website:

+63 (02) 555 5228 +63 (02) 863 0650

Emergency Assistance Japan

Alpine Rescue Service Pvt Ltd 'Mission: Save Life'

tel:

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

Jay Bajas – Senior Manager - Operations

Dr.Anraj Singh – Director

+91 983 1090 831 +91 033 4060 4013

email: website:

EMA Global Pte Ltd

ASIA RESCUE & MEDICAL SERVICES PVT. LTD

24/7 tel: 24/7 tel:

+65 6753 9133 +65 6244 0030

email: website:

Myanmar@asian-assistance.com www.asian-assistance.com

Asian Assistance – Philippines Marby Cervantes Madulara – Team Leader, Operation and Medical Development 504P to 508P, Pacific Drive Five E Com Center Bldg. Pacific Drive Extension Block 18 Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City, PHILIPPINES tel:

+63 999 878 6990

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To have your company listed in our service directory, contact the sales department now:

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Asian Assistance – Thailand Susanne Mørch – Director Viphavadi Tower 15th floor, 51/3 Ngamwongwan Road, Ladyao, Chatchuchak, 10900 Bangkok, THAILAND tel:

+66 2 056 1800

email: website:

sales@itij.com

contact@asian-assistance.com www.asian-assistance.com

Asian Assistance – Vietnam Nick Wongkuan – Director of Finance and Business Development

+44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

5th Floor, 106 Ton Due Thang street, Quae Tu Giam ward, Dong Da district, Hanoi, VIETNAM tel:

+84 915 618 860

email: website:

Vietnam@asian-assistance.com www.asian-assistance.com

(EUROPE)

SERVICE DIRECTORY

Global MediCALL Assistance Sridhar K – Chief Operations Officer MALAYSIA +6 03 3359 6969 +6 03 3359 6161

tel: fax:

marketing@globalmedicallassistance.com

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

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ADAC Ambulance Service

Eurocross Turkey 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

Global Assistance a.s. Ing. Marek Jaroš – General Manager Dopraváku 749/3, 18400 Prague 8, CZECH REPUBLIC tel: fax:

+420 266 799 770 +420 266 799 797

ops@1220.cz www.1220.cz

email: website:

Global Voyager Assistance - Black Sea

Christoph Ullrich – Senior Manager International Network

Oxana Razorenova – General Manager

Hansastr. 19, D - 80686 Munich, GERMANY

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

tel: tel:

+49 897 676 2912 +49 171 555 2912

email: website:

christoph.ullrich@adac.de www.adac.de/ambulance

tel: fax:

AIG Travel

+38 048 7373 441 +38 048 7373 442

gmbs@gvassistance.com www.gvassistance.com

email: website:

Global Voyager Assistance - Russia Sally Waithe – General Manager, AIG Travel EMEA

Costas Danilenko – CEO

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

PO Box II, 125124 Moscow, RUSSIA tel: fax:

AP Companies

+7 495 775 0999 +7 495 775 0998

email: website:

cdanilenko@gvassistance.com www.gvassistance.com

IFRA Assistance GmbH – Austria Natalya Butakova – Business Development Manager

Mr. Christian Steindl M.D. – CEO

17 Varshavskoye Shosse, Moscow 117105, RUSSIA

IFRA Assistance GmbH, Schießstattring 21, A-3100 St. Pölten, AUSTRIA

tel: fax:

+7 495 989 1120 +7 495 989 1130

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

email: website:

tel: fax:

Argos Assistance Srl

+43 (0) 2742 49 11 +43 (0) 27 42 89165

email: website:

office@ifra.at www.ifra.at

Inchcape Medical & Assistance Services

Marco Rinalducci – Claims & Administration Director

Mara Mytilineou – Operations Manager

Via Torino, 2 20123 Milano, ITALY / FRANCE

3, Agiou Dionysiou street, 18545 Piraeus, GREECE

tel: fax:

+39 027 254 6325 +39 069 933 5053

email: website:

operations@argosassistance.com www.argosassistance.com

tel: fax:

AU International Service / ASSIST UKRAINE

email: website:

assistance@iss-shipping.com www.iss-assistance.com

Intana Global

Andrey ZIMIN – Director

Denise Groom – Head of Commercial Sussex House, Perrymount Road, Haywards heath, West Sussex, RH16 1DN, UK email: enquiries@intana-global.com website: www.intana-global.com

Str. Sholudenko 3, 04116 Kiev, UKRAINE tel:

(+30) 210 42 24 805 (+30) 211 79 07 790

+38044 251 28 11

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

email: website:

BMC HEALTH SOLUTIONS 24hr Medical Assistance

Interamerican Assistance S.A.

Antonio Magliocca – Medical Director

Inez Tissink – Coordinator International Activities

Via del pozzo 30, Monteriggioni, 53100, Siena, ITALY

Syngrou Avenue 350,17680 Kallithea, Athens, GREECE

24hr tel: fax:

+39 0823 966 694 +39 0823 966 694

info@assistenzamedicah24.it www.medicalassistanceh24.com

email: website:

tel: fax:

CNAS

tissinki@interamerican.gr www.interamerican.gr

Malteser Service Center Johannes Hoischen – International Network and Repatriation

80 rue des alliés, 38100, Grenoble, FRANCE

Erna-Scheffler-Strasse 2, 51103 Köln, GERMANY

+33 438 49 83 49 +33 438 49 83 40

email: website:

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

tel: fax:

DRF Luftrettung / German Air Rescue

German Air Rescue

email: website:

Carole Luisy – Managing Director

tel: fax:

German Air Rescue – Claim-Variante rot / schwarz

(+30) 210 94 61 750 (+30) 210 94 61 004

+49 221 98 22 9333 +49 40 694597 61339

email: website:

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

Marm Assistance

Dr. Peter Huber – CEO

Mahmut Kadirbeyoglu – CEO

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

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

24h tel: fax:

+49 7007 3010 +49 7007 3119

email: website:

ops@drf-luftrettung.de www.drf-luftrettung.de/air-ambulance

tel: fax:

DRK Assistance

+90 216 560 07 24 +90 216 560 07 07

email: website:

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

Medicall AG Andreas Speich – Managing Director

Markus Detel – Manager International Network

Aufm Hennekamp 71, 40225 Düsseldorf, GERMANY tel: fax:

+49 (211) 917 499 38 +49 (211) 917 499 27

email: website:

Zurichstrasse 38, CH-8306 Bruttisellen, SWITZERLAND

moc@drkassistance.de www.drkassistance.com

tel:

EgyCross Assistance

+41 44 655 16 67

email: website:

MRI Assist

Dr. Hany Benyamen – CEO

Denise Rogers – Network Manager

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

C/Porto Pi, 8. 07015 Palma de Mallorca SPAIN

tel: tel:

mservices@medicall.ch www.medicall.ch

+34 910 602 414 +20 100 6222 910

email: website:

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

tel: fax:

+34 971 919 244 +34 971 919 255

email: website:

info@medicalresponse.es www.mri-assist.com

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

National Health Service LLC Dr. Ashfaq Rizvi – Financial Director 101000 Russia, Moscow, Potapovsky lane 5-2, RUSSIA +7 (495) 374-88-24 +7 (495) 374-88-24

tel: fax:

email: website:

drrizvi@nhsassist.ru www.nhsassist.ru

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

ASSISTANCE COMPANIES (NORTH AMERICA)

ASSISTANCE COMPANIES

(EUROPE)

SERVICE DIRECTORY

Savitar Group Ltd.

SWAN INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE – MUTUAL CARE Mr. Joseph Akiki – CEO P.O. Box 2265 Jounieh, Lebanon email: website:

request@swanassistance.com www.swanassistance.com

Active Care Management Paul Schlosser – Client Relationship Manager 3600 Rhodes Dr., Windsor, ON, N8W 5A4, CANADA tel: fax:

+519 945 8256 ext.4111 +519 251 5165

pschlosser@active-care.ca www.active-care.ca

email: website:

AIG Travel

Maria Berkova – General Manager

Jim Koziol – General Manager, North America

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

3330 Business Park Drive, Stevens Point WI 54482, USA tel:

Semesur

+1 715 295 9105

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

email: website:

ASSIST CARD Eugenio Crenes – General Manager

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 toll free: +1 800 874 2223 website: www.assistcard.com

Paseo de la Castellana 18, 7ª Planta, 28046 Madrid, SPAIN +34 911 010 470 +34 902 001 410

tel: fax:

info@semesur.com www.semesur.com

email: website:

Tangiers International

AXA Partners US

Jane Hegeler – Managing Director

Simon Jackson – Chief Commercial Officer

54 Melita Street, Valetta, VLT 1122, MALTA

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

+356 277 800 16 +356 272 055 00

tel: fax:

email: website:

tel:

info@tangiersinternational.com www.tangiersinternational.com

+1 312 935 1771

email: website:

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

CanAssistance

TBS Team 24 d.o.o

Fabienne Lavoie – Director, International Operations and Claims

Edvard Hojnik – General Manger

550 Sherbrooke Street West, Suite B-9, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 3S3, CANADA tel: +1 514 286 7707 email: fabienne.lavoie@canassistance.com fax: +1 514 286 8413 website: www.canassistance.com

CROATIA, SLOVENIA, SERBIA, MNE, BH, KOS, MAC +386 2616 5819 +386 2618 5800

tel: fax:

(MIDDLE EAST)

+961 9 224 008/009 +961 9 224 010

tel 24/7: fax:

email: website:

info@tbs-team24.com www. tbs-team24.com

GORAL ASSISTANCE CANADA INC.

Tyrol Air Ambulance Manfred Helldoppler – Managing Director

David Ohayon – Local Manager

Fuerstenweg 180, A-6026 Innsbruck-Airport, AUSTRIA

2155 Vincent St, Montreal, QC H4M 1M6, CANADA

+43 512 22422 100 +43 512 288 888

tel: fax:

email: website:

tel: fax:

taa@taa.at www.taa.at

+1 514 448 1343 +1 514 448 1835

email: website:

info@goralassist.ca www.goralassist.com

MD ABROAD

CONNEX Assistance JLT Lara Helmi – International Network Director

Ignacio C. Marquez – COO

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

2999 NE 191st Street, Suite 608, Aventura, Florida, USA tel: fax:

+1 (786) 475-5475 +1 718 847 0533

email: website:

operations@mdabroad.com www.mdabroad.com

SunMed International, LLC

Fakeeh International Dr. Fatih Mehmet GUL – Executive Director

Dra. Kinyi Haber – Medical Director. VP International Operation

Palestine Street, Al Hamra District P.O. Box 2537 21461, JEDDAH/SAUDI ARABIA tel: 00966 12 6603080 email: ops@fakeehinternational.com website: www.fakeehinternational.com

2000 NW 89th Place. Miami FL 33172, UNITED STATES tel: fax:

+1 786 888 6792 +1 786 551 0763

email: website:

khaber@sunmedint.net www.sunmedint.net

TMCA Group Corp

GORAL ASSISTANCE LTD Marcel Kadoche – International Network and Development Manager

Crystal Wharton – President

Maskit 27 str. Herzeliya Industrial Park 46733, ISRAEL

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

tel: fax:

+972 9 9579930 +972 9 9579931

email: website:

tel: fax:

info@goralassist.com www.goralassist.com

+1 646 398 9021 +1 646 398 9025

email: website:

Crystal@tmcatravel.com www.tmcatravel.com

IRAN ASSISTANCE Ashkan Lahiji – International Network Manager

To have your company listed in our service directory, contact the sales department now:

No 24,SOS building,15th Street, Gandi Avenue, Tehran,15175, IRAN tel: fax:

+98-21-88648620 - 24 +98-21-88648502

email: website:

operation@iranassistance.com www.iranassistance.com

sales@itij.com

LGA - LIFE GULF ASSISTANCE Dr. Ahmed Monir – CEO

+44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

Al Salam Tower, Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES tel: mob:

+971 55 314 5045 +971 52 758 1032

email: website:

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

Global Excel Management John Spears – VP Business Development & Marketing 73 Queen St, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 0C9, CANADA tel: fax:

+1 819 566 8833 +1 819 566 8447

email: website:

corpinfo@globalexcel.com www.globalexcel.com

New Frontier Group 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 fax: +1 949 666 6520 website: www.newfrontiergroup.com

COST CONTAINMENT (AFRICA)

SERVICE DIRECTORY

(EUROPE)

CATASTROPHIC CLAIMS SPECIALISTS

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

Plotkin Health Inc – A Subsidiary of MacroHealth LP Shaun A. Plotkin BA (Uvic), LLB (Monash), GDLP – President 27-3088 Francis Road, Richmond, British Columbia V7C 5V9, CANADA tel: fax:

+1 604 241 9639 +1 604 241 0733

email: website:

shaun@plotkinconsulting.com www.plotkinconsulting.com

To have your company listed in our service directory

AIMS Bernadette Breton – Chief Executive Officer AIMS House, 3 West St, Bryanston 2191, Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA tel: +00 27 11 783 0135 email: operations@aims.org.za fax: +00 27 11 783 2950 website: www.aims.org.za

Medical Services Organisation (MSO) Brenda Durow – General Manager - Assistance PO Box 1578, Gallo Manor, 2052, SOUTH AFRICA tel: fax:

assistance@mso.co.za www.mso.co.za

24hr email: website:

AP Companies Natalya Butakova – Business Development Manager 17 Varshavskoye Shosse, Moscow 117105, RUSSIA tel: fax:

+7 495 989 1120 +7 495 989 1130

email: website:

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

ChargeCare International Mary-Jo McDonald (MJ) – Managing Director

contact the sales department now:

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

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

tel: fax:

Claims at TuGo

+44 1865 400 007 +44 845 003 1351

contact@chargecare.net www.chargecare.net

email: website:

Eurocross Turkey Taka Katsube – Director Assistance & Cost Managment

Mehtap Baylam Akkaya – CEO

10th Floor, 6081 No.3 Road, Richmond, BC V6Y 2B2, CANADA

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

tel: fax:

+1 604 303 2113 +1 604 276 4593

email: website:

tkat@tugo.com www.tugo.com

Eurocross Turkey

Marm Assistance

Mehtap Baylam Akkaya – CEO

Mahmut Kadirbeyoglu – 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

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

Global Assistance & Healthcare

(NORTH AMERICA)

CLAIMS MANAGEMENT

+27 (0)11 259 5403 +27 (0)11 259 5001

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 fax: +62 21 299 78 9555/66 website: www.global-assistance.net

Global Excel Management John Spears – VP Business Development & Marketing 73 Queen St, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 0C9, CANADA tel: fax:

+1 819 566 8833 +1 819 566 8447

email: website:

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

email: website:

Claims at TuGo Taka Katsube – Director Assistance & Cost Managment 10th Floor, 6081 No.3 Road, Richmond, BC V6Y 2B2, CANADA tel: fax:

+1 604 303 2113 +1 604 276 4593

tkat@tugo.com www.tugo.com

email: website:

Global Excel Management John Spears – VP Business Development & Marketing 73 Queen St, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 0C9, CANADA

corpinfo@globalexcel.com www.globalexcel.com

tel: fax:

Intana Global

+90 216 560 07 24 +90 216 560 07 07

+1 819 566 8833 +1 819 566 8447

email: website:

corpinfo@globalexcel.com www.globalexcel.com

Global Medical Management Denise Groom – Head of Commercial

Raija Itzchaki – COO

Sussex House, Perrymount Road, Haywards heath, West Sussex, RH16 1DN, UK email: enquiries@intana-global.com website: www.intana-global.com

880 SW 145th Ave., Suite 400, Pembroke Pines, FL, 33027, USA tel: fax:

New Frontier Group

+1 954 370 6404 +1 954 370 8613

email: website:

info@gmmi.com www.gmmi.com

MD ABROAD

Gitte Bach – President and CEO

Ignacio C. Marquez – COO

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

2999 NE 191st Street, Suite 608, Aventura, Florida, USA

tel: fax:

+1 949 429 7130 +1 949 666 6520

email: website:

Bach@NewFrontierGroup.com www.newfrontiergroup.com

tel: fax:

Star Healthcare Network, Inc.

+ 1 (786) 475-5475 +1 718 847 0533

email: website:

operations@mdabroad.com www.mdabroad.com

New Frontier Group

Gigi Galen Grobstein – President

Gitte Bach – President and CEO

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

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

tel: fax:

+ 1 914 358 9121 + 1 914 358 9206

email: website:

Ggalen@starhealthcarenet.com www.starhealthcarenet.com

tel: fax:

To have your company listed in our service directory

+1 949 429 7130 +1 949 666 6520

email: website:

Bach@NewFrontierGroup.com www.newfrontiergroup.com

Penfield Care Mr Stephen Zatylny – President

contact the sales department now:

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

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

tel: fax:

+1 613 703 9861 +1 819 200 0281

email: website:

info@penfieldcare.com www.penfieldcare.com

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

Plotkin Health Inc – A Subsidiary of MacroHealth LP Shaun A. Plotkin BA (Uvic), LLB (Monash), GDLP – President 27-3088 Francis Road, Richmond, British Columbia V7C 5V9, CANADA +1 604 241 9639 +1 604 241 0733

tel: fax:

shaun@plotkinconsulting.com www.plotkinconsulting.com

email: website:

Star Healthcare Network, Inc. Gigi Galen Grobstein – President 120 Bloomingdale Road, Suite #304, White Plains, NY 10605, USA + 1 914 358 9121 + 1 914 358 9206

tel: fax:

email: website:

Ggalen@starhealthcarenet.com www.starhealthcarenet.com

FUNERAL DIRECTORS

COST CONTAINMENT (NORTH AMERICA)

SERVICE DIRECTORY

Funerarium International repatriation and embalming Maurizio Fantozzi – Director

Indirizzo dell’Azienda: Via Roma 255, Capistrello, Aquila, ITALY

Cristina Zega – Repatriations Manager Via Clelia, 26 / 28 - 00181 Roma, ITALY tel: fax:

0039 06 78 40 300 0039 06 78 02 488

email: website:

info@zega.it www.zega.it

Christian Correa – Operations Director Zona Franca Local 110, Rionegro, Antioquia, COLOMBIA & USA tel: tel:

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

segreteria@funerarium.it funerarium.it

FUNERARIA OFFICIA ROBERTO ZEGA - Worldwide Repatriations Specialist

contact the sales department now:

+1 203 343 8111 +57 4 562 1142

email: website:

info@g7ms.com www.g7ms.com

Rowland Brothers International Ltd.

DRK Assistance Andreas Speich – Managing Director

Fiona Greenwood – Operations Director

Aufm Hennekamp 71, 40225 Düsseldorf, GERMANY

299-305 Whitehorse Road, West Croydon, Surrey CR0 2HR, UK

+49 (211) 917 499 38 +49 (211) 917 499 27

tel: fax:

email: website:

tel: fax:

moc@drkassistance.de www.drkassistance.com

+44 20 8684 2324 +44 20 8684 8000

email: website:

info@rowlandbrothersinternational.com www.rowlandbrothersinternational.com

Singapore Casket Company Ltd

European Air Ambulance Patrick Schomaker – Director Sales & Marketing

Calvin Tang

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

131 Lavender Street, Singapore, 338737, SINGAPORE

24hr tel: fax:

+352 26 26 00 +352 26 26 01

email: website:

tel: fax:

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

Montreal/PE Trudeau Int Airport, 9785 Avenue Ryan, Montreal (Quebec), H9P 1A2, CANADA tel: +1 514 497 7000 email: alert@skyservice.com fax: +1 514 636 0096 website: www.skyserviceairambulance.com

To have your company listed in our service directory contact the sales department now: sales@itij.com or telephone: +44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1) Extreme Care Repatriation Petar Chernaev – Manager

GROUND TRANSPORT - MEDICAL

David Ewing – Executive Vice-President, Global Markets

email: website:

contact@spainuneralservices.com www.spainfuneralservices.com

DRK Assistance Andreas Speich – Managing Director Aufm Hennekamp 71, 40225 Düsseldorf, GERMANY +49 (211) 917 499 38 +49 (211) 917 499 27

tel: fax:

email: website:

moc@drkassistance.de www.drkassistance.com

Gateway International EMS Oliver L. Müller – Managing Director 1440 G St. NW, Washington DC, 20005 , USA tel: fax:

+1-888-828-5258 +1-201-205-2239

email: website:

operations@gateway-ems.com www.gateway-ems.com

GroundMed Australia Matthew Kline & Mark Wardrop – Executive Directors Hangar 650 Drover Road, Bankstown Airport. NSW, Sydney, AUSTRALIA 2200 tel: +61 2 8700 0685 email: ops@airmed.com.au fax: +61 2 8700 0663 website: www.airmed.com.au

1 Gevgeliiski, Sofia 1309, BULGARIA +359 882 52 9557

+34 902 008 407 +34 627 053 979

tel: tel:

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

email: website:

Skyservice Air Ambulance

tel:

customerservice@singaporecasket.com.sg www.singaporecasket.com.sg

calle jesus 25-29200- ANTEQUERA, SPAIN

Erna-Scheffler-Strasse 2, 51103 Köln, GERMANY +49 221 98 22 9333 +49 40 694597 61339

email: website:

Mourad Messaoud – General Manager

Johannes Hoischen – International Network and Repatriation

tel: fax:

+65 6293 4388 +65 6296 5993

Spain Funeral Services

Malteser Service Center

FUNERAL DIRECTORS

email: website:

G7 Mortuary Shipping - Latin-American Funeral Assistance

To have your company listed in our service directory

office@extremecare.eu www.extremecare.eu

Flying Home Pte Ltd

LifeMed Worldwide

Mr Ang Ziqian – Director

24/7 Chauffeured Transportation & Ground Ambulance

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

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

tel: fax:

+65 6253 0001 +65 6353 5801

email: website:

tel:

enquiry@flyinghome.com www.flyinghome.com

+1-305-501-2009

email: website:

ops@lifemedworldwide.com www.lifemedworldwide.com

One Call Medical Transport

Funeral Home AURIGA Ltd. Helena Sulikova – Chief of International Department

24 Hour Worldwide Ground Transports

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

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

tel: fax:

Funeralia

+39 327 328 7979 +39 (0) 863 186 1635

tel: tel:

+420 724 257 899 +420 416 732 582

email: website:

tel: fax:

repatriations@pohrebni-auriga.cz www.funeral-assistance.cz

+1 630 444 2100 +1 630 823 2900

email: email:

ops@ocmt.com www.ocmt.com

To have your company listed in our service directory Oleg Antoni Milinski – Funeral Director

contact the sales department now:

International funeral services, UKRAINE, POLAND, ITALY tel: fax:

+38 0971 498 785 +48 5131 236 78

email: website:

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

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

SERVICE DIRECTORY

Anatolia Hospital Dr. Irfan Erdogan – General Coordinator Caybasi Mh 1352 Sk No 12 , 07100 Antalya, TURKEY +90 242 249 33 00 +90 242 311 67 78

tel: fax:

drirfan@anatoliahospital.com www.anatoliahospital.com

email: website:

Jackson Memorial Hospital International Dominick Destefano – Associate Director of Sales 1500 NW 12th Avenue, Suite 829 East, Miami, FL 33136, USA +305-355-1211 +305-355-5545

tel: fax:

email: website:

Dominick.destefano@jhsmiami.org www.jmhi.org

MEDICAL ESCORT ON COMMERCIAL AIRLINES

HOSPITALS

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

Franziska Hollenstein – CEO / Founder 1918 Harrison Street, Suite 215, Hollywood, Florida, 33020, USA + 1 754 999 0460 + 1 754 222 5051

24/ 7 tel: fax:

www.primenursingcare.com contact@primenursingcare.com

email: website:

PARKVIEW AIR MEDICAL

Graham Mitchell – President #11 Zina Street, Orangeville, (Ontario) L9W-1E2, CANADA 1 519 942 8143 1 519 941 4213

tel: fax:

repat@parkviewairmedical.com www.parkviewairmedical.com

email: website:

SkyCare Global LLC.

Luz Saúde SA

Stephen Avise – VP of Operations

Eve Jokel, MPH – International Director

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

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

Sharp Global Patient Services Jacquie Schwoerke – Vice President, Sharp GPS 8695 Spectrum Center Blvd., San Diego, CA 92123, USA toll free: tel:

+1 888-265-1513 +1 858-499-4967

email: website:

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

8775 Aero Drive, Ste 120, San Diego, CA 92123, USA +1 858 437 5131 +1 858 408 7856

tel: fax:

email: website:

milanfloribus@gmail.com acglobalmedicaltransports.com

AirMed Australia

TECHNOLOGY

Milan Floribus – President

Dr Bettina Vadera – Medical Director Wilson Airport, Langata Road, PO Box 18617, Nairobi, KENYA +254 20 6000 090 +254 20 344 170

tel: fax:

24/7 tel: int. tel:

lbaker@ucsd.edu health.ucsd.edu/international

AC Global Medical Transports

AMREF Flying Doctors

email: website:

emergency@flydoc.org www.flydoc.org

121 Harley Street, London W1G 6AX, UK

136 W. Dickinson Street, Suite 109, San Diego, CA 92103-8222, USA email: website:

info@skycareglobal.com www.skycareglobal.com

Joe Beeltah – Client Liaison Executive

Larry Baker – Managing Director

+1 619 471 0466 +1 619 543 5282

email: website:

The Doctorcall Group

UC San Diego Health System International Patient Program

tel: fax:

+1 727 230 2263 +39 345 461 8122

US tel: EU tel:

intlpatientservices@luzsaude.pt luzsaude.pt/en

MEDICAL PROVIDER

+351 213 138 260 +351 213 530 292

tel: fax:

0344 257 0345 +44 161 214 1906

email: website:

guarantees@doctorcall.co.uk www.doctorcall.co.uk

Cambridge Global Payments Brad Loder – VP Marketing & Corporate Sponsorships 212 King Street West, Suite 400, Toronto, ON M5H 1K5 CANADA tel:

email: website:

+1 (416) 646 6401 ext. 2392

bloder@cambridgefx.com www.cambridgefx.com

Firemelon (Magenta Insurance System)

Matthew Kline & Mark Wardrop – Executive Directors

David Corney – Managing Director

Hangar 650 Drover Road, Bankstown Airport. NSW, Sydney, AUSTRALIA 2200 tel: +61 2 8700 0685 email: ops@airmed.com.au fax: +61 2 8700 0663 website: www.airmed.com.au

40-42 Lisburn Road, Belfast,BT9 6AA, NORTHERN IRELAND tel:

02895 213 831

email: website:

david.corney@firemelon.com www.firemelon.com

Nordic Insurance Software

AMREF Flying Doctors Dr Bettina Vadera – Medical Director

Elliott Draga – Head of Sales and Marketing

Wilson Airport, Langata Road, PO Box 18617, Nairobi, KENYA

Aarhusgade 88, 6th Floor, 2100 Copenhagen, DENMARK

tel: fax:

+254 20 6000 090 +254 20 344 170

email: website:

DRK Assistance Andreas Speich – Managing Director Aufm Hennekamp 71, 40225 Düsseldorf, GERMANY tel: fax:

+49 (211) 917 499 38 +49 (211) 917 499 27

email: website:

tel:

emergency@flydoc.org www.flydoc.org

moc@drkassistance.de www.drkassistance.com

TRAVEL AGENTS

MEDICAL ESCORT ON COMMERCIAL AIRLINES

Prime Nursing Care, Inc.

+1 (905) 866-8262

email: website:

elliott.draga@nisportal.com www.nisportal.com

Voyageur Aeromedical Travel Marc Banting – Director 19 Lower Park Row, Bristol, UK tel: fax:

+44 (0)117 921 0401 +44 (0)845 384 7008

email: website:

marc@voyageur.co.uk www.voyageur24.com

European Air Ambulance Patrick Schomaker – Director Sales & Marketing

To have your company listed in our service directory, contact the sales department now:

Luxembourg Airport, B.P.24, L-5201, Sandweiler, LUXEMBOURG 24hr tel: fax:

+352 26 26 00 +352 26 26 01

email: website:

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

LIFESUPPORT Air Medical Services Graham Williamson – CEO VANCOUVER – CALGARY – TORONTO – FRANKFURT tel: fax:

Medical Wings

+1 250 947 9641 +1 877 288 2908

email: website:

sales@itij.com

graham.williamson@LifeSupportTransport.com www.LifeSupportTransport.com

+44 (0)117 925 51 51 (opt.1)

Dr.Sura Jaidwatee, M.D. – Medical Flight 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 fax: +662 535 4734 website: www.medicalwings.com

ON THE MOVE

Manjit Rana joins Startupbootcamp InsurTech

Eminent appointment for Doctor Care Anywhere

Manjit Rana, Founder and CEO of ‘innovation consultancy’ Ingenin Ltd, has joined Startupbootcamp (SBC) InsurTech as Managing Director for corporate innovation in insurance. Manjit will lead the development and launch of a new range of corporate innovation products and services. Manjit brings three decades of experience helping insurers to navigate new disruptions such as insurtech by exploring new innovative avenues and harnessing the potential of broad-scale collaboration. The co-founder of a number of startups, both directly and on behalf of corporates, he also has an extensive portfolio of advisory roles, including RightIndem and Oseven. “SBC InsurTech is so much more than an organisation that helps insurtech businesses become investor ready,” said Manjit. “As we continue to engage with

Online primary care provider Doctor Care Anywhere has appointed Professor Nicholas Peters as Chair of its Clinical Advisory Board. The company said that this signals Professor Nicholas Peters Doctor Care Anywhere’s commitment to further enhance its online clinical and care services. Nicholas is currently Professor of Cardiology and Consultant Cardiologist at Imperial College NHS Trust. He is also Clinical Advisor to Google Health London and a leading advocate for the benefits of smart technology in healthcare. He brings his medical eminence and technological expertise to Doctor Care Anywhere and will provide expert guidance as the company enhances its online healthcare platform. “We are delighted to announce Professor Peters’ appointment to Chair of our Clinical Advisory Board. Nick has unrivalled expertise in healthcare and technology and this experience will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen the clinical expertise behind our service,” said Bayju Thakar, Founder and Executive Director. “We are currently witnessing the growth of crippling financial and resource burdens on our healthcare systems, so it is essential that we find alternate means of allowing people to access the healthcare they need, when they need it. We look forward to working with Nick to ensure

the insurance industry and understand their priorities, there is an opportunity to develop bespoke products and services to address the specific challenges faced when it comes to innovation. I am excited to join the SBC InsurTech team to create world-class solutions for insurers.” Manjit will join SBC InsurTech’s Londonbased team, and report to CEO Sabine Manjit Rana VanderLinden, who commented: “Manjit’s role as advisor to leading insurtech startups, as well as having been a mentor for SBC InsurTech since 2015, among others, means that he is permanently well-informed on what matters for the industry. I am thrilled that he is joining our ever-growing team as we take the next step in our engagement with our existing partners, brokers, insurers and reinsurers, ensuring that we continue to deliver high-end solutions to the market.”

GGH selects new EMEA business development head Generali Global Health has appointed John Kaye as its new Head of Business Development for the EMEA Region. In his new role, John will report to Chief Commercial Officer Stuart Leatherby. Before joining Generali, John worked at Cigna International for 16 years, serving in client services and business development roles in the Middle East and Asia, eventually becoming Managing Director for Europe.

“John’s extensive experience in the Middle East and Asia, and familiarity with the IPMI market, will be extremely valuable for us as we accelerate our growth,” said Stuart Leatherby. CEO Marco Giacomelli, meanwhile, said that the company was ‘delighted’ with the appointment: “[We] very much look forward to welcoming John to the team at this exciting time in our expansion.”

BrokerSure appoints Goodman Jo Goodman has been appointed as the new Director of Operations at BrokerSure, which owns a number of travel insurance brands, including DirectTravel and MedicalTravelInsurance. The appointment is part of BrokerSure’s ongoing expansion strategy. Jo brings nearly two decades of experience in the London insurance market to her role, including a number of years with Capita Commercial Insurance Services. “I am really excited to be joining BrokerSure,” she said, “and to be an integral part of driving the business expansion along with the excellent team around me. It’s an opportunity that I’m really looking forward to.” BrokerSure CEO Christian Young said: “Our team are a crucial part of our success and this is a key appointment. We were pleased

ITIJ SelectCare 0918.indd 1

John Kaye

Doctor Care Anywhere not only continues to provide safe, clinically excellent healthcare but that our clinicians are best supported in adopting the new ways of working that virtual practice demands, while delivering the highest clinical standards possible.” Professor Peters said: “I am thrilled to be working with Doctor Care Anywhere to enhance its position as a revolutionary provider of online healthcare. Despite how far it has already come, medical technology remains underutilised due to concerns that its ultimate aim is to replace humanto-human contact. But there will always be a place for the expertise of highly trained clinicians and online healthcare’s true value is not in replacing this vital contact between doctor and patient, but in improving access and enabling doctors to come up with more imaginative solutions to medical problems. This is an ethos shared with Doctor Care Anywhere’s founders and I look forward to working with a company so focused on increasing access to the knowledge and care that an excellent doctor can provide. My role, alongside Bayju and the Board, will be to ensure that the highest standards of care are provided through Doctor Care Anywhere’s platform, enabling its virtual GPs to continue providing exemplary, accessible healthcare online.”

New CFO for Assurant in Europe

to be able to secure the appointment of Jo as an integral part of our continuing future growth. BrokerSure has a number of brands operating under its umbrella. We recently acquired MIA, a specialist business focused on providing bespoke cover for terminal and adverse health of travellers of all ages. It deals directly with customers and handles business signposted to MIA by other brokers. We continue to expand to support the desire of our customers, irrespective of age and medical conditions, to travel to far-flung places safe in the knowledge that if they fall ill, they will receive the medical care they need. Jo will be a leading member of our highly experienced team working with our white-label clients and our direct customer contact centre teams both in Essex and Suffolk.”

Global risk management solutions provider Assurant has announced the appointment of Claude Sarfo as its new Chief Financial Officer for Europe. Claude will now be part of the enterprise finance team, with responsibility for planning, implementing, managing and controlling all financial activities, including forecasting, strategic planning, deal analysis, capital management and support for mergers and acquisitions. Additionally, subject to regulatory approval, he will be appointed as a Statutory Director of Assurant’s core European legal entities. Claude joins Assurant from Lloyd’s Banking Group. “We’re pleased to welcome Claude to the team,” said Andy Morris, CEO and President of Assurant Europe. “With our acquisition of

Jo Goodman

The Warranty Group in May, we broadened our global footprint and continued our growth strategy of helping consumers protect their appliances, mobile devices and electronics, and vehicles. Claude’s depth of experience will be invaluable as we continue to protect what matters most to our customers.”

Claude Sarfo

2018-09-25 7:22 PM

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