One in five UK holidaymakers chooses to be uninsured when jetting off on holiday, new research shows. With many Brits currently looking for winter sun getaways, ABTA’s recent Consumer Trends survey revealed that most travellers don’t have travel insurance when venturing abroad.
With 19 per cent of British travellers opting out of any travel insurance policy and 17 per cent saying that it is travel insurance is not important, a large number of Brits risk large medical bill abroad, according to ABTA.
Mike Monk ABTA Head of Finance said, ‘It is very worrying that almost 1 in 5 holidaymakers are going abroad without insurance and running the risk of substantial medical bills. Many of these believe incorrectly that the Foreign Office will pay their expenses.’
ABTA’s figures showed that 16 per cent of people asked believed that the UK government would pay their medical bills if they fell ill while holidaying abroad. Mr. Monk also warned that many UK holidaymakers are in danger of not being covered for cancellation charges due to illness or redundancy.
But it is not only people who jet off to foreign shores that neglect to insure themselves. The consumer survey showed that 55 per cent of Brits do not purchase travel insurance when holidaying in the UK.
Source : I Want Sun
