2006
(24/07/2006) 2.24 million adventure holidaymakers ignore travel insurance
New research from insurance provider AXA reveals that over 2 million people taking part in adventure holidays such as scuba diving and horse riding on their holidays this year will not have travel insurance.
Pat Brady, travel insurance manager, AXA Insurance said: "Travel insurance is a necessity for anyone holidaying abroad, especially if you plan to take part in any adventure activities. If you are injured during these and need medical treatment, the bill could run into thousands of pounds. Travel insurance does not need to be expensive, and it should help ensure that if you do encounter problems on holiday, the disruption and cost is kept to a minimum."
In terms of which holiday adventure activities people are least likely to get cover for, cycling tops the list. 19% of those people interviewed planning to do this on their holidays during the next 12 months will not have cover as opposed to only 3% of those interviewed that plan to do some scuba diving. Similarly, only 5% of those interviewed planning to go skiing or snow boarding won't have cover.
| Holiday activity | Percentage of those people interviewed who plan to do this activity on holiday during the next 12 months but won't have travel insurance | Estimated number of people who plan to do this activity on holiday during the next 12 months but won't have travel insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Cycling | 19% | 1,039,257 |
| Trekking/walking | 18% | 1,650,664 |
| Canoeing/kayaking | 10% | 245,643 |
| Water sports | 13% | 632,809 |
| Sailing/yachting | 12% | 287,868 |
| Horse riding/ranch holidays | 11% | 281,554 |
| Skiing/snow boarding | 5% | 113,711 |
| Scuba diving | 3% | 79,246 |
Those people planning to take adventure or activity holidays should make sure that they have adequate travel insurance and keep friends and family informed of their itinerary and plans. Further information can be found at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Know Before You Go campaign website at www.fco.gov.uk/travel.
- Ends -
Notes to Editor
The research company Gfk NOP interviewed 967 UK adults over the age of 18 between 12th and 14th May 2006.
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About AXA
AXA is a world leader in financial protection. AXA's operations are diverse with major operations in Western Europe, North America and the Asia/Pacific area. AXA employs 120,000 staff and tied agents and, as of 31 December 2005, had € 1,064 billion in assets under management. AXA reported total IFRS revenues of € 72 billion and IFRS underlying earnings of € 3,258 million for the full year 2005. Our previous company performance is not a guide to how we may perform in the future.
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