How to keep travellers clued in to safety risks

Woman waiting for her flight.
By Hannah Edensor


Did you know that Australian travellers take a casual 9.2 million overseas trips each year? Just 9.2 million, whatever.

Then you might also know they’re keen on being in the know, and having the most up-to-date information they can get their plane-hopping hands on.

As a result of this, Allianz Global Assistance (AGA) has launched its Global Travel Assistant (GTA), an online platform that keeps jetsetters clued in with advice on the top 20 countries and give international regions most frequently visited by Aussies.

The GTA is free and accessible to all travellers, and highlights potential risks in different countries, including safety concerns, theft hotspots, bad weather and natural disasters.

It comes at an interesting time in the travel industry, with tour operator TUI, and to some degree travel agents, coming under legal fire from the families of victims of the 2015 Tunisia terror attack.

The families believed TUI was complacent in its ‘duty’ to warn travellers about the dangers of Tunisia, which had suffered a previous terrorist attack in capital Tunis three months prior, and claimed the lives of a number of tourists, including those disembarking from MSC cruise ships.

An inquest also heard that one holidayer had quizzed their travel agent on the earlier attack at the Bardo Museum, and were told it was a “one-off” and that the Sousse beach destination was “100 per cent safe”.

So for travellers to have their own access to such a tool as the GTA, and agents able to recommend it as part of a traveller’s personal research into destinations, it serves an essential purpose for the industry.

The GTA platform provides Aussies with health and destination advice, as well as customer case studies to prepare them for the journey ahead.

“We launched the Global Travel Assistant site as a direct response to consumer demand. As a leading provider of assistance services, we have access to travel trends, risks and potential costs that are useful to travellers,” AGA CEO Craig Dalzell said.

“With more Aussies than ever travelling internationally, we want to raise awareness of the importance of being prepared before a trip. Travellers can still get into trouble in so-called ‘safe’ destinations—natural disasters, lost or stolen belongings and simple accidents can all spoil a trip.

“The GTA tool is available 24/7 – we want to encourage travellers to research their holiday destinations in the pre-planning stage of their trip as well as while they’re away.”

The top 20 destinations frequently visited by Aussies, according to AGA data, and the top five international regions in order of preference included in the GTA are:

Countries:

  • New Zealand
  • Indonesia
  • Thailand
  • China
  • UK
  • USA
  • Singapore
  • Fiji
  • India
  • Japan
  • Brazil
  • South Africa
  • Italy
  • France
  • Germany
  • Canada
  • Turkey
  • Greece
  • Spain
  • Mexico

Regions:

  • Europe
  • Asia
  • The Americas
  • Africa
  • Pacific

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