Managing director Richard Clarke said travellers’ first port of call should be their travel provider.
‘Under normal circumstances, if islanders choose not to travel as planned they would be unlikely to be able to claim a refund from either their travel provider or travel insurance provider.
‘However, if Foreign Office advice is not to travel to your destination or to a city you’re connecting through, it is likely that you will be able to re-route, reschedule or claim a refund. In this instance, islanders should contact their travel provider.’
The chances of receiving a refund or other special treatment drops dramatically, however, if the destination is not on the Foreign Office’s list of compromised locations.
‘If the Foreign Office does not advise against travel to your destination, or to a city you’re connecting through, and you decide not to go, you are not likely to be able to claim a refund. Islanders could, in this situation, contact their travel providers, who might allow travel to be rescheduled.’
If the travel provider declines to help, Mr Clarke said travellers should check their travel insurance policy.
‘Should islanders be travelling to destinations or through cities that the Foreign Office has advised against travelling to, and they are unable to get assistance from their travel providers, then we would recommend they check their travel insurance policy wording or give us a call as all policies are different.’
Mr Clarke advised travellers to keep up to date with guidelines, saying it was important to know who to contact or where to look for advice should they be affected by the recent coronavirus situation.
‘If the Foreign Office advice is not to travel then islanders should contact their travel provider or providers in the first instance, rather than their insurer or broker.
‘Islanders should also visit the British Insurance Brokers’ Association website for the most up to date advice.’
n Information on the BIBA website can be found at www.biba.org.uk/latest-news/travel-insurance-and-coronavirus.
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