Standard travel insurance policies will not cover cancellations of Dominican Republic trips because clients fear for their safety following a spate of tourist deaths on the island.
Still, interest in insurance on trips to the Dominican
Republic is surging. TravelInsurance.com said customers are increasingly
calling to ask about how insurance might work for someone visiting the
Dominican Republic. While it won't cover cancellation due to fear, insurance
does cover trip cancellation and interruption for a number of reasons,
including unexpected illness.
TravelInsurance.com said its year-to-date sales on policies
where the Dominican Republic is listed as the primary destination are up almost
60%. Month-to-date sales for June are up almost 200%. June insurance sales for
trips to the Dominican Republic have been pacing at more than double the
average sales of the three months prior, TravelInsurance.com said.
Only a cancel-for-any-reason policy, which is more expensive
than standard policies and has more restrictions around use and purchase time,
would cover a traveler who wants to cancel out of fear.
If a traveler were to get sick and need to return home
early, policies with trip-interruption coverage would cover that instance, noted
travel insurance comparison site SquareMouth.