One in four holidaying without travel insurance

Travel agents have called on the government to make it easier to buy travel insurance after research found that a growing number of holidaymakers are uninsured.

Picture: Donald Macleod/TSPL

One in four people travelled without insurance cover last year, according to new figures from the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), up from one in five in 2011.

The decline arises from the 2007 decision by the Financial Services Authority to regulate the sale of travel insurance, ABTA claimed. It said the move was “ill-advised” and resulted in many travel agents opting not to sell travel insurance to customers.

Mark Tanzer, ABTA’s chief executive, said: “The concern ABTA and many of our members have is that the regulations are too burdensome, which means fewer travel businesses are selling insurance, and ultimately that means fewer holidaymakers are taking out the appropriate insurance.”