Ministry backs holiday insurance

BANGKOK, 25 April 2013: Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports says it will seek Bt700 million to set up insurance to assist international travellers in distress to cover the peak season October 2013 to February 2014.

The ministry permanent secretary, Suwat Sidthilaw, said he was preparing a proposal for the Cabinet that will request a fund of Bt700 million to underwrite an insurance scheme  for the peak season.

“The insurance fund will act as a guarantee for visitors that their safety is being taken seriously at government level.”

The insurance fund would cover death, accidents and other life threatening or distressing incidents that disrupt a holiday and need an immediate response and financial support.

“The ministry is revising the conditions to correspond with today’s situation that differs from the past when the biggest concern was distress due to political clashes in the country,” he said.

“The cover is being discussed and is likely to cover death, injury, mental stress, and physical disability.”

In the past, insurance schemes were only valid if there was a political crisis,or failure in rule of law that could disrupt a tourist’s stay such as a closure of an airport.

The boat incident in Pattaya, last week, underscored the need to have insurance in place  to build confidence. Sixteen passengers suffered minor injuries while another two tourists were in critical condition.

But the subject of building confidence should go much further than providing insurance. Preventative action needs to be taken to ensure water and land transport operators hire responsible drivers and constantly monitor their performance through GPS and other support technology to guarantee a much high competency level that is evident today.

Previous cover paid US$10,000 in the case of death, while it covered actual hospital treatment costs in the case of injury. It also compensated financially those who lost limbs or suffered impairment due to a bomb or other kind of security-related incidents.

The new insurance policy would focus on transport related accidents and criminal attacks that endanger life or cause injury.

Sourced: ttrweekly