of individuals these days. Some of the top destination choices include Singapore, Dubai, Malaysia, Nepal, Australia, and USA. Singapore tops the list with about 23% of population considering it as their ultimate touring destination. Malaysia stands second on the list with 12% of preference vote. Dream city Dubai attracts 10% of Indian population each year whereas the neighbouring country Nepal stands at fifth position with about 9% of tourists annually. Australia, world's largest continent draws 4% of tourists from India each year.
The Expenses
Foreign trips are expensive. These trips call for enormous amount of money from travellers. After all, good things in life always come with a price. According to a survey conducted by insurance giant ICICI Lombard and GIC, people spend an average of 4-5 lakh rupees on foreign trips excluding travel expenses. For a USA trip, the average cost is about 3.4 lakh rupees whereas an Australia trip will make your wallet lighter by 3 lakh rupees. Top destination Singapore calls for 4.3 lakh rupees as average expense from travellers and the United Kingdom settles for 2.1 lakh rupees.
Primary Travel Motives
There are many reasons people travel overseas. Some of the major ones include leisure activities, romantic getaways, affordable flight fares, tourism, exploring new places, kid friendly tours, visiting friends/relatives, and entertainment.
The survey recorded visit to friends and relatives as prime reason for overseas travel. About 28% of population travel across the globe to see their loved ones. 20% of travellers roam about for leisure activities and 9% travel to enjoy a romantic getaway. Love for scenic beauty is yet another major reason for people to travel around the world. The survey says that about 11% of travellers spend money to explore scenic beauty of varied places. Some consider affordable flight rates (about 8%) as an opportunity to travel whereas 3% of population plan trips to learn about different culture and heritage existing around the world. 3% of travellers consider entertainment as their main motto whereas 11% travel for unique reasons.
The main age group of travellers moving abroad for various reasons ranges between 25-65 years. In recent times, there has been an upsurge of women going abroad. Around 35% of women enjoy foreign trips. The number of male travellers has been constant for the past few years. It has been recorded as 65% during the survey.
Are journeys risk proof?
No trip is risk proof. Uncertainties and emergencies can strike anytime. Foreign trips are riskier as one is away from their family, friends, and relatives. The place is new and adequate arrangements are not made to gather help when needed.
You are at risk!
You and your family are on a holiday. An accident happens and adequate medical treatment is not available on the site. You need immediate evacuation.
Unforeseen weather condition on a pilgrimage causes delay, cancellation, or disruption of journey.
You are at your dream picturesque location and lose your camera.
A stroll around dream city makes you lose passport.
You suffer from a pre-existing disease and worry travelling will only aggravate it.
Your wallet gets stolen at a shopping paradise.
You lose your baggage and cash on a business trip.
While trying your hand at adventure sport you accidentally break your leg.
The above mentioned risks can spoil your trip and cause a lot of inconvenience. Hence, it is crucial to secure it with travel insurance cover.
What travel insurance covers?
Medical and dental cover
Trip delay cancellation
Baggage delay/ loss
Medical evacuation
Accidental death
Passport loss
In India, the most covered claims include luggage, medical expenses, accidents, and third party.
Medical expenses and accidents- 81%
Luggage- 14%
Third party- 4%
And others- 1%
