Tourism: 49 percent of the health problems when traveling related to the destination

Observatory (TIO) with the support of the World Tourism Organization

Observatory (TIO) with the support of the World Tourism Organization
said 49 percent of the health problems affecting tourists and travelers when they visit other countries are related to the country of destination, such as gastrointestinal or respiratory infections. 26 percent of the problems faced by travelers have to do with trauma, especially fractures. These kinds of problems are more associated with seasonality than others. For example, they are more frequent in seasons and areas where winter sports are practiced.

However, the other 25 percent of the cases affecting travelers have nothing to do with the destination or with trauma, but are related to chronic conditions or diseases that manifest themselves during the trip with no direct link to it.

These are some of the conclusions of the Travel Insurance Observatory (TIO)1, a report prepared by MAPFRE ASISTENCIA that examines the cases of medical assistance reported by tourists from several countries in Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific who travel around the world.

The prolog of the second edition of this publication has been written by the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Taleb Rifai has congratulated MAPFRE, an Affiliate Member of the UNWTO, for generating โ€œquality information as a key element for tourism, supporting travelers in their preparation and providing management elements to the public and private tourism authorities at the countries of destinationโ€.

The 2014 edition is the first global report published by the company and presents an overview of MAPFRE ASISTENCIA’s travel insurance claims and their breakdown throughout the world.

โ€œWith this report we share our experience with as many travelers as possible to turn our slogan into reality: To contribute to a positive experience for tourists at their destinationโ€, explained Rafael Seneฬn, MAPFRE ASISTENCIA’s President.

Another conclusion of the study is the existence of a correlation between the traveler’s age and the type of problems. For example, the younger the traveler, the greater the probability of experiencing a health issue related to the specific circumstances of the country of destination, such as allergy, diarrhea, infections, sunburn, etc. However, travelers over the age of 65 are more affected by conditions unrelated to the destination, but which manifest themselves during the trip, such as pre-existing chronic illnesses, cardiovascular disease, anemia, tumors, etc.

Another interesting aspect of the TIO is the numerical value called Country Risk Rate, which is assigned to each country based on its accident rate. Cross- referencing the volume of health accidents in each country with the number of travelers and overnight stays in the same country, it is possible to determine whether its accident rate is higher or not than the level it should have.

If the Country Risk Rate is greater then one, it means that the number of health problems exceeds what should be expected considering the number of travelers and the nights they spend in that country.

Spain has a Country Risk Rate of 0.5. This means that visitors have a very low level of health problems, which is especially relevant taking into account that it is one of the world’s major tourist recipient countries.

MAPFRE ASISTENCIA has been an affiliate member of the WTO since 2013 and has positioned itself as a global benchmark in the travel insurance industry. The company is a leader in the world travel insurance market and currently operates this business in 45 countries.

MAPFRE ASISTENCIA’s travel insurance products offer personalized protection to travelers and their companions for each destination and type of travel and include customizable cover such as medical care, cancellation insurance and lost luggage insurance, among other options.

MAPFRE ASISTENCIA, a leading company specializing in assistance, service provision and specialty risk insurance, offers comprehensive solutions to its clients in four main areas: insurance, including specific solutions for brokers, finance, automobile and travel and tourism, in addition to products for private individuals. With a direct presence in 45 countries and more than 1,572 corporate clients, the company operates throughout the world and 198 million people benefit from its services.

MAPFRE is a global insurance company present in 49 countries on the five continents. It is the leader of the Spanish insurance market, the first multinational insurance group in Latin America and one of the 10 largest European groups in premium volume. MAPFRE has over 38,000 employees and more than 27 million clients worldwide. In 2014 its net profit exceeded 845 million euros and its income amounted to 26.367 billion euros.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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