The covid-19 pandemic interrupted the travel plans of many people, mainly due to the closing of the countries’ borders. Those who were about to travel abroad had to reschedule or cancel their flights. Airlines had to redraw their networks. Other sectors were equally impacted, such as insurance companies, which were forced to review their products.

The events related to the pandemic have surprised many, especially members of the insurance industry, which has paid out more than R$370 million in claims in 2020, exceeding the value of premiums. For 2022, the results promise to be positive: R$50 million in premiums were contracted in January this year, an increase of 141% over the same period last year.

There has been a significant increase in demand for travel insurance as the tourism industry already operates at pre-pandemic levels, with the difference being that travelers seem to have understood the importance of guarding against health-related risks. For the European countries that are part of the Schengen Agreement, for example, insurance is mandatory. The highlight goes to the hiring of this type of insurance for domestic travel. According to Braztoa (Brazilian Association of Tourism Operators), most travel insurance operators in Brazil have seen demand grow.

However, it must be said that events related to pandemics, epidemics and outbreaks, when declared by a local or international body, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), were not included in travel insurance policies. Travelers could only rely on health insurance (for those who had it) or on the coverage offered by eligible credit cards, both of which have a number of limitations when compared to the products offered by insurance companies.