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Bridging the gap Spotlight on long-stay trip cover
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LATAM disruption Breaking into the market
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Australians confused about travel policies The Australian Consular State of Play report, issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), has found that Thailand is the most dangerous country for Australian travellers In the last year, 203 Australian tourist deaths were recorded in Thailand, with the country also topping the list for consular cases (893), hospitalisations (195) and missing persons reports (74). The country is, however, not the most visited by travellers, with 529,000 visiting in the 2016/17 financial year, compared to the 1,316,000 who visited New Zealand and 1,053,000 who visited the US. The report also found that Australian travellers were still misinformed about travel insurance. Eighty-seven per cent of travellers did not know which counties their policies covered, while 70 per cent were uncertain about claims for an incident in which alcohol or drug use was involved. A further 82 per cent were unsure about coverage of mental health conditions on their policies. Fortunately, according to the
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Claims misconceptions revealed Consumers in the UK are struggling with a huge preconception when it comes to making an insurance claim – fearing it to be ‘daunting, complicated and time-consuming’, according to a new insurance claims review service Research for Claimsrated.com found that 59 per cent of the 1,000-plus people questioned from across England, Scotland and Wales believed this to be the case. Among those aged 16 to 29, this rose sharply to three-quarters (76 per cent).
These results, though, contrast strongly with those who had made an insurance claim, as seven in 10 (71 per cent) of that specific group rated their claims experience as being ‘Good’ or ‘Very Good’. The survey also found that 38 per cent of all those who responded to the online survey did not feel insurance companies do their best to make the claims process as simple as possible. However, half the respondents nationally said they did have that insurance companies would
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BARCELONA WE’VE ARRIVED VISIT ER24 GLOBAL ASSIST AND MEDICLINIC AT ITIC BOOTH NUMBER 8 ER24 Global Assist is a proud finalist in the Marketing Campaign of the Year category and Mediclinic in the Medical Provider of the Year category. We look forward to the awards ceremony in Barcelona!
NOVEMBER 2017 • ISSUE 202
A game of chance Newly released research has found that 55 per cent of British people are not taking out adequate medical cover for their holidays, playing Russian roulette with their health – and their wallets The survey, conducted recently by insurer Staysure, found that 49 per cent of those going overseas will experience a medical emergency at least once in their lifetime while they are on holiday, making the lack of insurance even more concerning. Other findings from the survey included: that one in three holidaymakers have knowingly travelled abroad without any sort of travel insurance at all; and that of those who travelled abroad without buying insurance, 13 per cent claimed they had never purchased it, while nearly half said they didn’t realise they needed protection to cover their medical expenses. In what will come as no surprise to regular readers of ITIJ, alcohol was named as the number one contributing factor to accidents happening abroad, with 45 per cent of those surveyed admitting that their trip to the accident and emergency department came after one too many drinks. Staysure’s chairman Ryan Howsam commented on the findings: “Worryingly, our research shows many holidaymakers are still travelling without any travel insurance cover at all. As the data suggests, many have needed medical attention abroad, so we urge travellers to ensure they have the right cover to avoid what can be significant medical costs. It’s also important to declare any pre-existing medical conditions.”