Who Buys Travel Insurance?

Squaremouth.com, a travel insurance comparison web site, has released statistics about who purchases travel insurance products, revealing that California, New York, Florida, Texas, New Jersey and Mississippi residents are the top travel insurance purchasers. Other findings?

• Domestic travel accounts for 12% of sales with an average per-policy premium of $126 while foreign travel accounts for 88% of sales with an average per-policy premium of $167. European travel accounts for 30% of sales with an average per-policy premium of $172.

• The highest average per-policy premium is for world cruises with an average of $2,825.

• Average trip length for domestic trips is 10.18 days compared to 16.34 days for foreign trips.

• Average trip cost for foreign travel is $2,945 compared to $2,312 domestic travel.

20-30 year olds account for 15.6% of sales with an average per-policy premium of $95.

30-40 year olds account for 18.34% of sales with an average per-policy premium of $114 while 40-50 year olds account for 18.29% of sales with an average per- policy premium of $150.

50-60 year olds account for 20.77% of sales with an average per-policy premium of $185 while 60-70 year olds account for 15.21% of sales with an average per- policy premium of $265.

Over-70 year olds account for 7.69% of sales with an average per-policy premium of $312.

Under 50s spend an average of $120.85 per-policy premium while Over 50s spend an average of $235.39 per policy premium.

Study Indicates Ski Industry is Retaining Older Participants

Among the most prominent trends noted in the 2007 National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) National Demographic Study is the continued aging of the visitor base, with strong growth in skiers and riders ages 45 and older. The fact that older participants are being retained in the sport in significant numbers is a welcome plus for the industry.

The average age of participants has risen steadily from 33.2 in 1997/98 to 36.6 in 2006/07.

Specifically, since 1997/98, the proportion of visitors ages 45 to 54 has increased from 14.0 percent to 19.4 percent; the proportion of visitors ages 55 to 64 has almost doubled from 4.6 percent to 9.4 percent; and the proportion of visitors ages 65 and older has also almost doubled, from 2.4 percent to 4.2 percent.

Age differences across different regions of the country are dramatic. The Midwest has the youngest visitor base with a median age of 22, followed by the Southeast at 28, Pacific West at 32, Rocky Mountains at 39 and the Northeast at 40. The annual demographic study is available for purchase at www.nsaa.org.