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GoCompare Travel Insurance welcomes England’s ‘green list’
But research suggest only 13% are happy to travel abroad this year
Ahead of publication, GoCompare Travel Insurance has welcomed England’s ‘green list’, and clarity on which destinations travellers can visit this summer without quarantining.
However, recent research suggested as few as 13% of people are happy to go abroad this year, with two thirds planning a staycation instead.
The research, commissioned by GoCompare Travel Insurance found that just shy of a quarter (23%) said Covid was the reason that they will holiday in the UK, with 31% saying they are worried about traveling abroad because of the virus. Concerns about possible delays or COVID quarantine requirements for foreign travel were front of mind for 30% of respondents. One in ten said they were planning a staycation because they can’t afford to go abroad this year, while 16% will holiday in the UK because they prefer it to going overseas.
Hannah Isitt from GoCompare Travel Insurance commented, “While we welcome some clarity on foreign travel this year, it is early days and many travellers will want more reassurance on procedures and the requirements that will be placed on them. Before going abroad, all travellers will need to understand the guidelines for their particular trip and we would also strongly recommend buying a good quality travel insurance policy with Covid cover, and understand the details of that Covid cover. While no policy will cover every eventuality, there is very valuable protection to be had.
“We know that many Brits are reluctant to go abroad this year and one of the main reasons is uncertainty around possible delays, quarantine arrangements and what could happen if there are further changes just before they travel or while they are abroad.
“While there will undoubtedly be a rush to book foreign trips in the next few weeks, our research shows that many people feel it just isn’t worth trying to go abroad this year and have already booked staycations. We urge anyone with UK bookings to consider travel insurance to cover cancelation costs, which can still be significant.”
The survey revealed that 71% of staycationers don’t bother with travel insurance, a third of whom don’t think it’s worth buying cover, while 12% don’t believe travel insurance provides any cover for UK holidays.
Unexpected and expensive incidents can, and do occur, on staycations as well as foreign holidays. While the NHS makes insurance for unexpected illness or injury unnecessary for UK holidays, hospital treatment would be given at the location of the holiday, rather than at a hospital closer to the insured’s home. Travel insurance can provide help for you to be transferred to a hospital that’s closer to home, which wouldn’t be covered by the NHS, unless medically necessary.
Travel insurance also provides a financial buffer against pre-paid travel plans and accommodation being cancelled due to a range of unforeseen events – these could include illness, injury, redundancy, bereavement, and travel delays. For cover to apply, insurers typically require the policyholder to have pre-booked at least two consecutive nights’ pre-paid accommodation at a commercial establishment, for example, a hotel or B&B.
For more information on travel insurance visit: https://www.gocompare.com/travel-insurance
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For further information please contact:
Gordon, Jason or Liz at MAW Communications on 01603 505 845
Keep up-to-date with GoCompare on Twitter; @GoCompare
Notes to editors
1On 16 April 2021, an online survey of 2,008 randomly selected Great British adults was executed by Maru/Blue. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error (which measures sampling variability) of +/- 2.1%. The results have been weighted by age, gender, region and social grade to match the population, according to Census data. This is to ensure the sample is representative of the entire adult population of Great Britain. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.
About GoCompare
GoCompare is a comparison website that enables people to compare the costs and features of a wide variety of insurance policies, financial products and energy tariffs.
It does not charge people to use its services and does not accept advertising or sponsored listings, so all product comparisons are unbiased. GoCompare makes its money through fees paid by the providers of products that appear on its various comparison services when a customer buys through the site.
When it launched in 2006, it was the first comparison site to focus on displaying policy details rather than just listing prices, with the aim of helping people to make better-informed decisions when buying their insurance. It is this approach to comparing products that secured the company an invitation to join the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) in 2008, and it is still the only comparison site to be a member of this organisation.
GoCompare has remained dedicated to helping people choose the most appropriate products rather than just the cheapest and works with Defaqto, the independent financial researcher, to integrate additional policy information into a number of its insurance comparison services. This allows people to compare up to an extra 30 features of cover.
GoCompare is part of Future Plc and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
More information can be found here www.gocompare.com or here https://www.futureplc.com/brands/.
