Thailand pushes for compulsory travel insurance

Thai tourism officials have announced they are pushing forward with a proposal that will require all visitors to Thailand to have travel insurance before entering the country.

The proposal was raised in a meeting last week to help manage the extremely high levels of medical claims made by tourists, may mean that travel insurance documents will be inspected at immigration counters upon arrival.

“Thailand is a popular destination with Australians given its warm climate, proximity and wide range of activities for all ages. In fact, over 500,000 Australians travelled to Thailand in 2016 – an 83 per cent increase from 20,061,” said Head of Distribution, Allianz Worldwide Partners, John White.

“The news of travel insurance potentially becoming compulsory for visitors to Thailand isn’t that surprising when you consider its popularity and sadly, the number of travel related insurance claims made.”

“In 2016 alone, we received over 3000 Thai-related travel claims with over 30 per cent relating to medical claims. The most common type of medical claim for visitors travelling to Thailand in 2016 was for hospital expenses and the country also ranked third in the most popular country for medical repatriations.

“Injury and illness whilst travelling can affect anyone of any age, anywhere in the world, yet our research shows an alarming number of Australians still treat travel insurance as a last-minute purchase.

“Customers purchasing travel insurance in the last week of departure can be as high as 39 per cent and those purchasing on the day before or on the day or departure is 19 per cent.

“In some cases, travellers choose not to purchase it at all, running the gauntlet and leaving themselves open to potentially disastrous consequences, and a burden on the local economy.

“We encourage all travellers to carefully consider their coverage needs before they travel and ensure they purchase the correct level of cover or policy depending on the type of activities they wish to engage in.

“Along with many other benefits, Travel Insurance can provide coverage for overseas emergency medical and hospital expenses. If travellers are unclear on the level of cover, always read the Product Disclosure Statement and call customer service.”

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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