Travel claims hit a record

The industry paid out 274m during the year to people who fell ill or had an accident while they were on holiday, the equivalent of 5.3m a week, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

The group said the figure was the highest since it first began collecting data on travel insurance claims in 2000, and came despite a 15 per cent fall in the number of trips abroad people made during the year.

The group said the cost of claims for medical expenses had soared by 270 per cent in the past five years, with medical treatment now accounting for 60 per cent of all claims paid by travel insurers, up from 33 per cent five years ago.

Stomach upsets, ear infections, allergies and heart problems were the most common illnesses that people needed treatment for while they were abroad.

Payouts made by insurers during the year ranged from 49,000 for the cost of a coronary artery bypass and an emergency flight home for a man who became ill in the US, to 9,000 to cover the medical costs of a woman who suffered a severe allergic reaction while on holiday in

Cyprus.