Nearly 77 million international travelers visited the United States in 2017, according to the International Trade Administration’s National Travel and Tourism Office. With all those visitors, something is bound to go wrong — which is why there’s visitors insurance.
If you’ve never heard of visitors insurance, it’s probably because it’s a relatively small subset of the $12 billion global travel insurance industry. And you probably live in the United States, so it isn’t something you would even consider, or for which you would qualify.
But visitors insurance is growing, according to insurance providers. Domestically, companies such as G1G and Insubuy offer special policies tailored for the international visitor. As it turns out, these policies have special customer service demands that regular policies don’t. And they offer customer service lessons for any business.
“Travel insurance for visitors to the United States continues to be a large market centered mainly around travel medical plans,” explains Jim Krampen, co-founder of Seven Corners. “These insurance plans offer an array of medical benefits, allowing you to choose your medical maximum, deductible, and coinsurance. Consumers buy these plans because they are aware medical expenses in the U.S. can be a significant financial burden and the majority of visitors home country government or private plans will not provide coverage in the U.S.”
What international visitors want
Nick Brennan, who runs a technology business in London and is a frequent visitor to the U.S., says he looks for several things when he’s shopping for visitors insurance coverage.
