Staysure Joins Travel Industry Day of Action Protest

The ‘Travel Day of Action’, which involved a protest march on the Houses of Parliament, took place this week. The sector has suffered a huge drop in revenue, thousands of jobs have been lost and we are still no clearer on exactly who is allowed to travel and what the rules are for each destination. One insurance brand joined the Day of Action to demand a clear plan out of this mess.

Ryan Howsam CEO of Staysure said;

“The current Government approach is a fiasco. The vaccine is working as our numbers in the UK are steadily lower than European counterparts who are now travelling. Many businesses will simply not survive this ‘stop and start’ system which is causing chaos for consumers and businesses and hampering the sector’s ability to plan ahead.

There has to be a clear strategic route map and a dedicated support system in place. Enough is enough”, he concludes.

One report published this week stated that some 22% of consumers still had multi-trip trvael insurance, but noted that it was mainly down to packaged bank accounts – so the cover was essentially free. It is possible in the long run that the Chubb idea of offering Pay As You Roam insurance, that starts and stops at the airport turns out to be a better fit for a post Covid world.

FORBES ADVISOR COMMENT;

Kevin Pratt, personal finance expert at Forbes Advisor UK, offers his thoughts on how this will impact holidaymakers:

“Millions of Brits will be feeling mixed emotions about the relaxation of the quarantine rules for previously amber list countries. Yes, it’s fantastic that we’ve been given the green light to head to holiday hotspots in the Med and beyond, but what if the promise of a hassle-free holiday is snatched away from us again at the last minute? What if we’re already overseas, and the UK’s rules for the country we are in are redrawn at short notice, leaving us scrabbling to get back home before the quarantine restrictions begin to bite once more?

“The government must provide maximum clarity and certainty about the new arrangements and potential future changes so that would-be holidaymakers can plan with confidence. But individuals and families must also adapt to the new circumstances by checking the terms and conditions applied by their holiday provider in case of cancellation or curtailment, and by making sure their travel insurance provides as much Covid 19-related protection as possible.

“Tellingly, the government has said that all additions to the green list, apart from Malta, will join the ‘green watchlist’, as will Israel and Jerusalem – signalling that these countries are at risk of moving from green to amber. It’s only three weeks since Portugal was shunted from green to amber with only a few days’ warning – a move which triggered a frenzied rush to get home by Brits desperate to avoid the hassle, disruption and expense of at-home quarantine. It seems clear that, despite today’s announcements, summer holidays are still hanging in the balance, with Covid threatening to tip the scales.”