With the summer holidays well under way, travel association Abta is urging Brits to take out travel insurance is they haven’t already done so.
Research by the travel industry’s main trade body has shown that the number of Brits travelling abroad is on the rise, even though one in five (19 per cent) have visited a doctor or hospital abroad and 42 per cent two thinking the contents of their suitcase would be worth more than £500 for a two week holiday.
A separate study of MPs showed that more than half (57 per cent) think government should do more to encourage people to take out travel insurance while 18 per cent believe that recent government regulation of travel insurance has led to fewer holidaymakers purchasing holiday policies.
Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer said: “It is alarming that the number of people travelling abroad uninsured is on the rise and so it is good to see MPs acknowledging that government should do more to address this. In recent years government legislation has made it more difficult for travel businesses to sell travel insurance, which we believe has contributed to the rise in numbers travelling uninsured. Medical bills can run into thousands of pounds, so government must do all that it can to encourage people to take out insurance and make it easy for them to get the right kind of cover for their needs.”
Abta has a comprehensive guide on travel insurance at abta.com/travelinsurance
