Insurance firms to launch products adapted to travel alerts

Given the upcoming implementation of the region’s new travel alert system, which will be enforced from March 7, the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has announced that six to seven insurance companies are set to launch insurance products that are up-to-date with the system.

MGTO director, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, noted there is a need for the insurance industry to launch products that are designed to be congruent with the alert system’s standards.

“There needs to be one to two weeks to allow the insurance industry to launch some new insurance products and there needs to be some time for the companies to see how they can cooperate with the new travel alert system,” she told the press on the sidelines of the Social Welfare Bureau’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

In these two weeks, authorities would evaluate the 77 countries that could be listed in the three-level Outbound Travel Alert system (OTA).

If a destination was rated as Level 3, Fernandes admitted that it would not be possible to restrict Macau residents from visiting the region.

Following the implementation of the Travel Alert System, the Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) advises residents to purchase comprehensive travel insurance before traveling. Comprehensive coverage options will be insurance plans that have responded to the updated MSAR Travel Alert System and include international emergency medical evacuation coverage. GGCT advises travelers to verify with their insurers if they have any doubts regarding the terms and conditions of their insurance coverage.

Mainland, Taiwan and HK not included

The travel alert system covers 77 countries or travel destinations which are considered the preferred travel destinations of Macau residents. Taiwan, mainland China and Hong Kong are not covered given the fact that they “are part of the People’s Republic of China,” the GGCT stated. Helena de Senna Fernandes stressed that Taiwan, mainland China and Hong Kong are not covered in the system given the fact that they are part of China. “After all it’s the same country […] it doesn’t mean we don’t care about these places.”