Almost half of people in East Midlands concerned about terrorism affecting travel plans

Almost half of people (45%) in the East Midlands are concerned about terrorism affecting their travel plans, according to new research.

The study by insurance company International Travel and Healthcare alongside YouGov found that people from the East Midlands are more worried about terrorism impacting on their travel arrangements than those in the North East (32%) but less worried than people living in London (52%).

The survey also found that more than a quarter (26%) of respondents in the East Midlands believed that travel insurance policies usually cover the cost of cancelling a trip if an act of terrorism has occurred, while 33 per cent believed that it covered the cost of cutting a trip short for the same reason.

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More than a third of people questioned (36%) from the region said they believed that travel insurance will provide cover for delays as a result of an act of terrorism.

Kate Huét, managing director at International Travel and Healthcare said: “Our research with YouGov has shown that terrorism is very high on the list of concerns and is being taken seriously when people are thinking about their travel plans. There is now a very clear need for financial protection against its effects for the many thousands of people whose trips are indirectly affected by acts of terrorism.

“While it is unsurprising that people are concerned about terrorism in this changing world, it is worrying that so many people misunderstand what travel insurance covers, leaving them with no financial protection should an act of terrorism occur close to their proposed destination if they no longer want to travel.”

The results also found that 27 per cent of respondents in the East Midlands who have taken out travel insurance said that they always read their policy wording fully while 59 per cent read only ‘some parts’ of their policy wording.

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And 18 per cent of respondents from the region admitted that they didn’t know who would be responsible for covering the cost of repatriation for someone who was injured or killed in an act of terrorism, and 16 per cent thought the UK Government would pay the costs.