Vietnam Travel Firms to Ask Insurers to Cover Zika Disease

Travel companies in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City will request insurers to include the Zika disease in travel insurance contracts for their tourists to Singapore and Malaysia as the disease threatens to spread from the two neighboring countries. Tour operators said there have not been many cancellations of bookings by Vietnamese visitors to Singapore and Malaysia. The two countries attract hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese travelers a year. But they are concerned that they will attract fewer bookings than usual if Zika infections in the two countries show no signs of letting up. Travel firms are reviewing travel insurance contract terms for their guests to ensure that they will be insured against the disease while traveling to the countries. Some are willing to pay more for their insurance coverage to add the Zika disease to the contracts to protect their customers. Luu Dinh Phuc, director of Viettours, said all insurance contract terms for the company’s guests would be checked carefully to make sure that they will be insured although insurance contracts contain terms on epidemics at destinations. Tran Xuan Hung, director of Viking, said he has contacted insurance companies to discuss compensation terms for customers. Insurance firms are unsure about it but have promised to calculate appropriate compensation for travelers. (thesaigontimes.vn Sep 5)