Travelling has always been associated with risks. It is no secret that when you travel, there is much that is out of your control. Flights can be delayed or you might need to return home if an emergency occurs. In most cases, you may end up losing the money you had already paid and you will have to make new bookings too. Without a travel insurance, disruptions to your trip can end up costing a fortune!
Travel Insurance covers you for incidents that are out of your control so that you do not have to spend your own money if something goes wrong. In addition, it provides practical assistance when abroad around the clock giving you and your loved ones 24/7 protection.
Resolution Insurance Managing Director, Alice Mwai speaks on a scenario where Travel Insurance came to the aid of a client. “There have been many instances where clients have benefitted from travel insurance. Recently a client who travelled to Egypt for official duty fell sick and ended up being admitted in hospital for a few days. On contacting our assistance services, a guarantee was given to the hospital through our agents who were tasked with monitoring the client’s treatment. We settled the hospital bill which was more than Ksh 1.4 million. This is just one case but every so often we have claims for lost or stolen property.”
It is important to note that some countries do not permit foreigners entry without Travel insurance. Some of these countries include the United States of America (USA), the 26 European Schengen Countries that include, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland. The UAE, Cuba, Qatar and Turkey also require mandatory health insurance from foreigners.
Travelers can choose from a selected range of packages to suit different traveler’s needs. Annual multiple trip packages best serve frequent travelers. Travelers under such packages benefit from one off yearly payments and for those who are not regular traveler’s single trip packages are the best option. Inbound travel packages best suit foreigners travelling into Kenya for business or leisure.
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The tourism industry also benefit from travel insurance in that tour operators can enrich their safari packages with inclusion of travel insurance. On the other hand, tourists have a tangible cover that can help them return to their home country in the event of an emergency hence reduce the financial loss that comes with refundable deposits or change of travel plans.
Insurance companies within the East African Community comprising of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda are making strides in ensuring common regulatory standards which may directly impact travel insurance in the region. While plans are still underway to streamline insurance standards within the EAC, the partnership presents a unique opportunity for growth as we are likely to see a lot of cross-border trade and regional tourism. The opening of borders and improvement in infrastructure could also mean that road transport becomes a cheaper mode of transport making it easier and cheaper to tour other countries.
