May Day Travel Peak: Travel Insurance Interest Heats Up — the Agency’s Policy Doesn’t Cover You

With the Qingming mini-holiday over and May Day approaching, safety awareness is rising and travel-insurance interest is heating up year by year. Reporters visiting Guangzhou travel agencies found more and more customers proactively asking about and buying travel insurance.

What are the two kinds of travel-agency insurance?

They protect completely different people.

The key misunderstanding: the liability policy on your group tour does not protect you personally. If you fall or get sick, liability cover pays nothing; travel accident insurance — voluntary, usually attached to the contract, priced at a standard 5 yuan for 1 day or 10 yuan for 2–10 days — is what protects you.

How proactive are travellers now?

Over half buy voluntarily. One agency manager said: “People used to ask only about transport and itineraries, rarely insurance; now many ask first and some request cover themselves.” When booking group or independent tours, agencies ask whether travellers want accident cover — and now over half say yes.

What should self-drivers add?

Beyond basic travel accident cover: standalone glass-breakage (flying stones crack windscreens), accidental-medical riders (hospital bills are the commonest claim), and emergency rescue for remote areas. Some attractions add novel, high-thrill activities to pull visitors — check the risks before joining.