Irish insurance company Blue Insurance has stopped selling policies via the UK travel trade.
Jason Whelan, Europe head of product at the Dublin-headquartered firm, said: “Blue Insurance has had a long-standing relationship with travel agents and tour operators in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
“Over recent years there have been several disruptions in the travel industry and as a result we recently decided to withdraw our travel insurance product from the UK travel agency market.
“It was a difficult decision for us and we sincerely thank all the travel agents and tour operators in Great Britain and Northern Ireland who supported us in the past.
“All our other business activity remains unchanged.”
The company had extensive relationships with travel agents in Northern Ireland in particular.
Sharon Thompson, owner of Thompson Travel in Portadown, commented: “I understand their reasoning when many agents stopped selling during the pandemic, but not now. It’s a fantastic ancillary product, especially as it means clients are so well protected.”