Travel Risk Professionals joins Atas to share insurance experience with trade

Insurance specialist Travel Risk Professionals has joined the Association of Touring and Adventure Suppliers (Atas) to share its expertise and experience with members.

 

Established in 2011, Travel Risk Professionals offers a wide range of insurance and risk solutions to the UK travel sector.

 

As well as targeted and specialist insurance products, it also provides a wide range of educational services covering many areas from risk management to crisis team training.

 

Alan Pattison, managing director at Travel Risk Professionals, said: “We live and breathe the travel industry every day and over the years have built a huge reservoir of experience on claims, crisis events, risk management scenarios and many more, which puts us in a great position to provide Atas members with the benefits.

 

“We have always had a close relationship with the adventure travel sector and seems like a natural fit to us to be closer to a sector of the market that we hold in high esteem.”

He said the firm has provided insurance and risk solutions to the travel sector for many years, and agents and operators represent 95% of its client base.

 

“We have always been strong believers that education should go hand in hand with risk solutions,” he added.

 

“Our aim over the next few years is to continue to provide targeted training and awareness sessions on a range of matters useful to the industry and continue to innovate with new targeted risk solutions and insurance products to meet emerging needs.”

Asked why is the touring and adventure sector is important to the company, he said: “The commitment to professionalism and risk management has always been evident and matches our desire to work alongside the best in the business at upholding quality and pushing the boundaries.

“BS8848 [the British Standard for organising and managing visits and adventurous activities outside the UK], for example, was a key milestone.”

Pattison said several trends are emerging in the sector, “from an increase in high/ultra-high-net-worth adventure holidays through to an increase in new start-ups”.

 

“Travel companies are more exposed to financial risk than most industries and the key to providing the right assistance is having a full understanding of their exposures,” he added.

 

“Traditional risks such as financial insolvency and public liability still remain and are very important but in recent years, cyber risks have become more and more complex and the increase in mergers and acquisitions activity highlights the need to have good quality management liability in place.

 

“We continue to innovate and develop new products. This year we are hoping to launch no less than three new travel industry-related products.”

 

He highlighted how the firm’s 24/7 crisis response service has dealt with events ranging from terror attacks to kidnaps – with the recent Middle East conflict being “a big examination of our capabilities”.

 

“We were involved from the very start and placed three ex-special forces operatives on the ground in the Middle East,” he told Travel Weekly.

 

“Emergency evacuation plans were drawn up, redrafted and planned again with the shifting situation on the ground.

 

“Safe evacuation of many passengers to save havens was secured and we had private aircraft on standby to provide assistance to those who needed it.

 

“Advice on safety protocols and best practice was issued many times daily.”

He concluded: “We have a long and successful partnership with the travel sector and are very much looking forward to building on that and passing the benefit of our experience and products on to Atas members.”

 

Claire Brighton, Atas director, said: “It’s lovely to welcome Travel Risk Professionals as associate members of Atas.

 

“Insurance is such a vital service for our agents and operators, so it’s a real bonus to have their expertise and experience to call upon.”