The recent terrorist attacks in Egypt have led to calls from brokers for travel insurers to cover such incidents in their policies. Mike Collins reports

Following the recent bomb attack in Egypt, the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA), the UK’s leading general insurance intermediary organisation, has called on insurers to cover terrorism as a matter of course in insurance policies and warned travellers to check their policies.

Speaking on the first day of BIBA’s annual conference, technical services manager Graeme Trudgill, said: “Other distribution channels, including travel agents, tour operators and direct insurers frequently have a terrorism exclusion, meaning that travellers’ policies provide no help at all in a terrorist event.”

BIBA is warning consumers to check their travel insurance policies to see if it includes a terrorism exclusion clause. Trudgill says: “There are a very limited number of policies in the market covering this issue. In light of the increased terrorist activity around the world we want to see more positive steps taken by the insurance industry to recognise the problem and to afford travellers greater protection.”

Financial expert Martin Cunningham agrees. “It’s regrettable, but these incidents are becoming more common these days and travel insurers need to address the issue urgently,” he says.

“Part of the problem is that people booking holidays from a travel agent often take the insurance offered by that agent as it’s convenient for them to do so. Whatever other merits they possess, travel agents are not insurance experts and I recommend that you check any policy they offer you very carefully indeed.

“My advice is to shop around for a policy that you are happy with and that covers you for as many eventualities as possible – including terrorism.”