Meet Shifting Market Demands With Expanded Travel Protections

While travel demand continues to defy expectations this year, some new trends in how people are traveling and booking trips have emerged—creating a need for travel protection that better fits their shifting preferences. For example, more travelers are booking trips much further in advance, and the flexibility of remote work has opened more opportunities to travel for longer periods—combining work and leisure.

It’s important that travel advisors offer products that continue evolving with customers’ changing needs and habits to maintain a strong value proposition—and the best choice in travel protection will keep adapting to the market’s most current demands.

Travel advisors have many choices in protection for their customers, and some useful observations for vetting them are how in touch an insurer is with travelers’ most current needs and how nimble they are in adjusting their products, services, policies and technology to continue keeping up with shifting demands.

For instance, in addition to staffing a dedicated market research team, Allianz Partners conducts traveler surveys every year—before the summer travel season and before the holiday travel season—to keep a close watch on changing habits, preferences and sentiments. They also conduct an annual survey among travel advisors—including both partners and non-partners—to gather more insights on what matters most to them, their customers and their business.

Through these methods, plus constant review of customer post-purchase surveys, Allianz Partners has recently developed enhancements to the most popular Allianz Travel Insurance retail plans that address several recent shifts in market preferences. They include in-demand features like longer maximum policy and trip lengths (1095 days and 366 days, respectively), higher trip cost and emergency medical benefit limits and protection that can reimburse the insured for any fees or additional expenses charged by a travel supplier if the customer has to change their airline, rail, cruise or tour tickets due to the cancellation or rescheduling of a special event—like a wedding, concert or business meeting.* These changes can help advisors cater to more customers’ needs and add even more value to their travel protection—and their overall trips.

The enhancements also include several additional covered reasons for trip cancellation and interruption benefits, including first responder call to duty, veterinary emergency, theft or mechanical breakdown of vehicle, boarding denial due to suspicion of illness, new employment, school year extension and more. Added covered events mean more ways travelers can use their benefits—a win for advisors and their customers, who are now even more likely to be reminded of why their insurance purchase was worthwhile. Enhanced plans are now available in all states except California, Florida, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Washington.

Constant innovation to fit the times, while maintaining a customer-first approach, is part of the Allianz Advantage—a combination of competitive strengths partners can leverage to achieve faster business growth, plus stronger customer loyalty. Most advisors surveyed each year** have cited customer experience as the top reason they choose to work with Allianz Partners—and it’s not a coincidence. Through a robust Voice of the Customer program that’s always monitoring customer feedback to uncover opportunities for improvement, Allianz Partners helps travel advisors stay ahead of the game when it comes to knowing and responding to what their customers want next—whether that’s new product features, advances in claims processing or new travel safety tools within the Allianz TravelSmart^TM app.

If you’d like to learn more about the Allianz Advantage—and how it can give your customers a better experience while giving your business a stronger competitive edge—visit JoinAllianzPartners.com.

*Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply. Availability of specific benefits and covered reasons described here varies by product and by state.  Products may not include all benefits or covered reasons described here.  See your plan for details on what your plan includes. Benefits may not cover the full cost of your loss.  All benefits are subject to maximum limits of liability, which may in some cases be subject to sublimits and daily maximums.  Be sure to review your plan carefully to understand what limits apply to your plan.Insurance benefits underwritten by BCS Insurance Company (OH, Administrative Office: 2 Mid America Plaza, Suite 200, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181), rated “A” (Excellent) by A.M. Best Co., under BCS Form No. 52.201 series or 52.401 series, or Jefferson Insurance Company (NY, Administrative Office: 9950 Mayland Drive, Richmond, VA 23233), rated “A+” (Superior) by A.M. Best Co., under Jefferson Form No. 101-C series or 101-P series, depending on your state of residence and plan chosen.  A+ (Superior) and A (Excellent) are the 2nd and 3rd highest, respectively, of A.M. Best’s 13 Financial Strength Ratings.  Plans only available to U.S. residents and may not be available in all jurisdictions. Allianz Global Assistance, TravelSmart, and Allianz Travel Insurance are marks of AGA Service Company dba Allianz Global Assistance or its affiliates. Allianz Travel Insurance products are distributed by Allianz Global Assistance, the licensed producer and administrator of these plans and an affiliate of Jefferson Insurance Company. The insured shall not receive any special benefit or advantage due to the affiliation between AGA Service Company and Jefferson Insurance Company. Plans include insurance benefits and assistance services. Any Non-Insurance Assistance services purchased are provided through Allianz Global Assistance. Except as expressly provided under your plan, you are responsible for charges you incur from third parties. Contact AGA Service Company at 800-284-8300 or 9950 Mayland Drive, Richmond, VA 23233.

 **Allianz Partners annual survey of travel agents