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UK travellers faced £361m of holiday nightmares this summer
19/09/2005
An English couple holidaying in California had their holiday ruined this summer as they were crushed under a fence whilst soaking up the sun, poolside. A hire car driven by fellow Brits careered through the wooden hotel perimeter, trapping Mrs Harding under the panelled fence. Both escaped serious injury but Mrs Harding required emergency treatment, and is still receiving physiotherapy in the UK, for shoulder, back and neck injuries costing £1200.
This is just one example of the £361m* worth of holiday hell faced by UK travellers this summer, says a holiday disaster report released today. Airline delays, lost and stolen items, and injury are just some of the nightmares that disrupted around 750,000** holidays in just the three months of June, July and August of 2005.
The study of 58,000 Churchill travel insurance customers showed that the number one holiday setback was theft of personal possessions. A third of the claimants suffered an average loss of £453 through missing cameras, glasses and mobile phones. The second most prevalent cause for misery was illness and injury. Over 182,000*** travellers have needed treatment this summer, with ear infections and funny tummies being the leading reasons for a visit to the doctors.
Churchill's head of travel insurance, Mike Ketteringham said, "Unfortunately, accidents and loss of personal belongings are part and parcel of holidays. Whether they are for broken bones, faulty aircraft or lost passports, holiday claims are often costly and stressful."
Top 5 Holiday Incidents
1. Lost personal items
2. Injury or Illness
3. Airline delay
4. Holiday cancellation
5. Lost cash
| Top 5 Lost/Stolen | % |
|---|---|
| 1. Cameras | 38 |
| 2. Sun glasses | 16 |
| 3. Jewellery | 12 |
| 4. Mobile phone | 8 |
| 5. iPod | 6 |
| Top 5 Injuries/Illnesses | % |
|---|---|
| 1. Food poisoning | 38 |
| 2. Ear infections | 16 |
| 3. Broken/strained limbs | 12 |
| 4. Flu | 8 |
| 5. Organs/Internal ailments | 6 |
Ketteringham said, "We advise travellers to shop around for quality travel insurance before they take their holiday. Levels of cover and price vary hugely so its important that time is taken to find the right travel policy."
*£361m derives from the % of travellers likely to suffer a travel claim, multiplied by the average claim cost- according to Churchill’s database of 58,000 customers. Number of
**3.7% of travellers are likely to make a claim = 752,210
***24.3% of travellers required medical treatment in 2005
For more information please contact:
Greg Dawson
Churchill Insurance
020 8285 3277
pressoffice@churchill.com