Foreign Office: Travel insurance essential
Tuesday, 12 Aug 2008 00:01
Lots can go wrong on holiday
The government is urging holidaymakers not to cut back on their insurance to save cash as an accident abroad could have expensive consequences.
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) is urging holidaymakers not to abandon their insurance this year after a survey revealed two thirds say they will be spending less on their preparations this year due to the credit crunch.
In its annual report, based on incident figures from FCO records, the department found 8,304 Britons needed assistance in the US, 6,710 passports were lost in Spain, 602 Brits were hospitalised in Greece and 1,591 died in Spain over the period April 06–March 07.
Foreign Office Minister, Meg Munn, said: "This report highlights what can go wrong on holiday.
"It is a reminder to all that taking out comprehensive travel insurance is a crucial part of your holiday planning and not something that should be sacrificed to save a few pounds.
"Our message is: Stay safe and have a great holiday."
The FCO has advice on its website for anyone going abroad, which includes information on local customs and laws, as well as potential dangers.
As for trouble hotspots, the FCO named Indonesia as having a particularly high rate of cases where the British consulate had to give assistance - 10.05 for every 1,000 Brits - followed by Pakistan (1.95) and then India (1.37).
The department said there are many reasons for the high rate of assistance, including accidents, theft of money and passports and involvement in drugs.
One thing that tends to take visitors by surprise is a local law that provides for random drug tests by police - a positive result is then sufficient evidence to charge for using drugs.
Spain had the highest number of hospitalisations (695) followed by Greece (602) and then Thailand (324).
Accidents in Thailand are almost always on the road, and most of these involve motorbikes, the FCO said.