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For many, the very real prospect of rising ski holiday prices is now on the horizon following the Brexit vote. It’s also going to re-focus attention on ski travel insurance. Brexit Fallout It’s still far too soon to say, with any great clarity, just what the final longer-term impact of the recent Brexit vote will be. In fact, at the time of writing, many politicians still seem stunned and unable to comprehend either what’s happened or more importantly, what’s likely to happen as a result. However, some are predicting significant price increases ahead on skiing holidays of all types, but particularly those in North America. The Cost Hits While the politicians debate, the markets have already given their, albeit initial, verdict. Sterling has slumped against the dollar, so it’s a no-brainer that your holiday costs are going to rise steeply if the cost is in dollars and you’re paying in sterling. Unfortunately, the US slopes are going to look a little less financially attractive for many than they did even a few months back. It’s true that the declines against the Euro were, initially, more modest given the ongoing unease about the single currency, but the falls in sterling have been escalating. That is going to mean that, if you’re heading for the Alps, yet again your holiday pound is going to buy a lot less. These are all direct ‘in the pocket’ cost impacts, but there are indirect ones too that could be even more gloomy – and they also introduce the subject of ski travel insurance. Broader Perspective An immediately obvious question arising from Brexit is: “what happens to EHIC?” That’s the system whereby citizens of EU states can get reciprocal emergency health treatment in each other’s countries. The answer, of course, is that nobody has a clue, but if it’s wound-up as part of the UK’s 2-year exit then travellers heading to the slopes in Europe will need to start looking for comprehensive ski travel insurance. While it’s perfectly true that it has always been advisable to carry ski travel insurance for all those things that EHIC didn’t cover, the policy providers didn’t have to include a provision for potentially 100% of very expensive emergency medical cover. That was EHIC’s job. This means there is a high probability of cost increases in said travel cover. To make matters worse, the ski chalet staffing sector is heavily reliant upon a seasonal and internationally-mobile labour force. Holiday companies report that their staff insurance costs for non-EU personnel are roughly double than that for EU people due to the EHIC system. Once Britain has fully withdrawn from the EU, staff costs will rise as a result - and no prizes for guessing that at least part of those increases will come back to the customer. Summary All things considered, even if trying to avoid sensationalism, it’s hard to escape a conclusion that cost hikes for ski holidays are on the way and some of them will be directly attributable to Brexit. If EHIC does go the way of the dinosaurs, at least for UK citizens, then a significant increase in ski travel insurance costs also seems predictable. Patrick Chong is the Managing Director of InsureMore, an award-winning team of specialists in global ski travel insurance policies. Besides offering great deals on travel insurance, Patrick also collects and shares the best free travel competitions to help his clients get the most out of their holidays.
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