Strong growth in the number of outbound North American travelers means solid growth opportunities for travel insurers, including Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection.
According to the Research and Markets report, “North America Travel Insurance Market by Distribution Channel: Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2016-2022,” the travel insurance market possesses high potential to grow in the next 6-8 years, as the present penetration level is considerably low. It is one of the niche segments as compared to other segments in the insurance industry. One of the driving factors of travel insurance is the growth of tourism industry across North America.
As the tourist traffic is growing, the associated risk (while travelling) is also on rise.
Travel insurance covers the expenses incurred and minimizes the risks during travel, which include medical treatment to patient, trip cancellation, loss of baggage, evacuation or repatriation during an emergency, loss of travel documents, and others.
The growth of travel insurance market is influenced by the growth in trend of adopting travel insurance as a prerequisite for obtaining VISA. This provision ensures that travelers are adequately covered in case of medical emergencies, owing to high medical and hospitalization cost in foreign countries. However, lack of proper knowledge in terms of benefits of travel insurance and low awareness are expected to restrain the growth of the North America travel insurance market.
According to a study, the number of outbound travelers in the U.S. was increased by 7.7% in 2015 as compared to 2014, strengthening the growth of the U.S. travel insurance market.
Moreover, 27% of the Canadian population comprises baby boomers, who have the resources and time to travel across the world. Thus, travel insurance service providers target baby boomers and amend their services to provide a better solution, which is expected to surge the demand for travel insurance in Canada. Insurance intermediaries are expected to gain high market share, owing to the growth of travel insurance among senior citizens.
© 2017 David Mazor
Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.