Terrorism's Impact on Travel: Squaremouth Reveals Travel Insurance Trends

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Jun 23, 2016, 07:52 ET

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., June 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The threat of terrorism is not preventing Americans from traveling, but it is prompting travelers to take more precautions. Leading travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth reveals notable trends in travel insurance sales that indicate how travelers respond after a terrorist attack.

Is Terrorism Affecting How Americans Travel?

More Americans are making the decision to insure their travel. Following terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels, Squaremouth saw more travelers purchasing trip cancellation policies and searching specifically for Terrorism coverage.

In the month following each of the attacks, Trip Cancellation sales were 19% higher than in the same period the previous year
The number of customers searching specifically for Terrorism coverage increased by an average of 167% in the month after each attack
The percentage of customers searching specifically for Terrorism coverage has continued to increase each month since the March 22 attacks in Brussels

How is Terrorism Affecting Travel to Popular European Destinations?

Following the terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels, the number of customers buying travel insurance for the most popular European destinations — particularly Italy and the United Kingdom — rose significantly compared to the same period in the previous year.

Change in Number of Customers Buying Travel Insurance
Compared to the same period in the previous year

	1 Month After Paris Attacks	3 Months After Paris Attacks	1 Month After Brussels Attacks	3 Months After Brussels Attacks
Italy	+47%	+22%	+47%	+31%
UK	+57%	+19%	+35%	+21%
France	+17%	-0.12%	-8.5%	+2.7%
Spain	+26%	+27%	+10%	+28%
Germany	+22%	+20%	-12%	+14%

How Does Terrorism Affect Travel to Specific Destinations?

Travelers seemed to show an interest in insuring their trips rather than canceling them after the terrorist attacks in France and Belgium. However, other destinations are not as resilient. Squaremouth saw a significant decrease in customers traveling to Turkey following recent attacks across the country.

France and Belgium both saw a higher number of travelers insuring trips to the destination in the month after the attack compared to the same period in the previous year
Both countries dropped slightly in popularity after the first month, indicating some travelers may be opting for alternative destinations
The number of Americans purchasing travel insurance for Turkey fell 61% in the month following the January 12 suicide bombing in Istanbul, compared to the same period in 2015

This report is based on U.S. residents insured on travel insurance policies purchased through Squaremouth.com and represents the destination selected at the time of purchase. Travelers visiting multiple countries are only required to enter one destination when purchasing a policy. All data reflect changes from the same period in the previous year unless otherwise noted.

ABOUT SQUAREMOUTH
Squaremouth is an online company that compares travel insurance products from virtually every major travel insurance provider in the United States. Using Squaremouth's comparison engine and third party customer reviews, travelers can research and compare insurance products side-by-side. More information can be found at www.squaremouth.com.

Available Topic Expert:
Rachael Taft
[email protected]
(727) 264-5174

SOURCE Squaremouth