Americans will spend  more than ever before on their vacations in 2024, according to the latest Allianz Partners USA's annual Vacation Confidence Index. For a second consecutive year, it expects Americans’ total spend on summer vacations to be above the $200 billion mark. This year it predicts total spend of $221.6 billion. Americans have more than doubled their projected summer vacation spending since the start of the pandemic. The 2024 figure represents an approximately 3.5% increase over last year, and a huge 118% jump compared to 2019. In 2024, the average American household is expected to spend $2,843 on their summer vacation, topping $2,000 for the fifth time since Allianz Partners began tracking vacation spending habits in 2009. “This summer, we expect to again see a record-breaking number of Americans traveling for their summer vacations,” said Daniel Durazo, director of external communications at Allianz Partners USA. “While travel costs remain inflated, our survey confirms Americans are not letting that hamper their vacation plans.” The Vacation Confidence Index has been conducted each summer since 2009 by national polling firm Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of Allianz Partners USA. 

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  Warm Mexican beaches, cool shades and thirst-quenching cocktails are on Americans’ radar, reveals Allianz Partners’ Top 10 Summer Travel Destinations survey for 2024. International travel will be up 15% this summer over last year and domestic travel will cool by 5%, but domestic hotspots still take the lion’s share (68%) of Americans summer itinerary bookings.   Tried-and-true vacation destinations Orlando and Cancun are awarded the #1 slot in this year’s ranking. Meanwhile, after six years, Paris makes an appearance in the Top 10 international roster, after previously holding ninth place in 2018.   The travel insurance and assistance company analyzed more than six million flight itineraries* for trips between five and eight days in length for travel booked between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day. While radiant Orlando’s #1 ranking stays intact, major metropolitan cities are stepping into the ring with Seattle (#2) claiming second place for the third year in a row. Other stateside city favorites include Boston (#3), New York (#4), Las Vegas (#6) and Los Angeles (#7). Americans are also looking to hang ten with visits to Honolulu (#5) and Kahului (#9). Rounding out the Top 10 domestic roster, Denver (#10) was once again reinstated, after previously being knocked out by Miami in 2023.   Cloudless and radiant all around, Mexico tops the charts as Cancun continues to reap the benefits of being crowned #1 in this year’s summer international roster, alongside treasured destinations, San Jose del Cabo (#2) and Puerto Vallarta (#7). Meanwhile, others are vibing and grooving as they make their way to Oranjestad (#3), Montego Bay (#6) and Nassau (#10).   The only European destination in 2023’s ranking, London (#4) proudly jumps four spots from its previous eighth position. Following suit, after flying under the radar for six years, Paris is back in on the action holding the ninth spot, likely spurred by the country’s long-awaited summer sporting event. Finalizing this year’s summer picks, Turks & Caicos  wins the eighth spot, further highlighting Americans’ desire for international sun.   “After months of cold and gloomy weather in the states, it’s no surprise that both domestic and international beaches are a big allure to American travelers,” said Daniel Durazo, director of external communications at Allianz Partners USA. “Whether you’re staying in the U.S. or traveling abroad, unexpected events can happen that may derail even the best planned trips. The right travel insurance policy can protect you against the cost of covered travel delays, trip cancellations, baggage loss and even medical emergencies.”   Allianz Partners offers travel insurance through most major U.S. airlines, leading travel agents, online travel agencies, hotel companies, cruise lines and directly to consumers. For more information on Allianz Partners and available travel policies, please visit http://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/.     *Methodology: The data of U.S. travelers’ 2024 Summer Travel plans was gathered by analyzing the number of customers that went through the online booking process of airfare and package paths for partners offering Allianz Global Assistance travel insurance, to generate itineraries for roundtrip flights departing from U.S. airports during the Summer Travel season from 5/24/2024 – 9/3/2024, for trips between 5 and 8 days in length. In total, over 6 million itineraries were analyzed using this methodology.

 

The new AllianzAdvantage.com is a one-stop resource for travel advisors

  Travel insurance and travel assistance provider Allianz Partners USA has launched its AllianzAdvantage.com website for travel advisors, creating a new one-stop portal to everything advisors need to successfully offer Allianz Travel Insurance products. New tools add to advisors ability to drive customer satisfaction, cement their role in the travel planning process and gain repeat business and customer loyalty by demonstrating the value of Allianz travel protection products, services and technology.   Specifically, the new website offers a consistent, consolidated ecosystem for new and existing advisors, inclusive of materials and training, and provides self-service options to find answers to questions and read about products, technology partnerships and events. It also highlights advisor community success stories and serves as a gateway to travel insurance booking tools that include AgentMax, QuoteMax and MaxMail.   The website’s main sections are:  

• The Media Center, which:
  • Highlights advisor and customer stories
  • Provides news and updates about products, technology, awards and other news from and about Allianz Partners
  • Gives details of industry events and webinars, including those sponsored by Allianz Partners
  • Shares Allianz Partners blog posts, articles, audio and video for advisors
• The Help Center,which:
  • Provides details about and access to the AgentMax Online platform, including QuoteMax and MaxMail, the Digital Brochure Tool, Sherpa destination requirements and the TravelSmart mobile app
  • Provides formal training through Travel Agent Academy and the Advisor Handbook
  • Provides marketing resources for advisors, such as banners and social and web copy
• The Become a Partnertool, which allows advisors and travel suppliers to sign up as a partner and offer travel insurance to customers.

    The new AllianzAdvantage.com shows how Allianz’s sophisticated marketing, reliable delivery of products and services and a stellar brand reputation can accelerate partners‘ growth through greater customer loyalty and repeat purchases. These capabilities, along with a robust and award-winning customer experience program, may allow travel supplier partners to harness the power of the continued travel rebound to grow their businesses to levels that equal and exceed even their strongest years.   “We’re proud to offer some of the best travel insurance tools in the business, including our award-winning AgentMax online booking platform, marketing tools such as QuoteMax and MaxMail and our powerful new digital brochure platform,“ said Richard Aquino, vice president and head of sales at Allianz Partners USA. “The new AllianzAdvantage.com offers one-stop access to these tools and serves as the gateway to our Sherpa destinations guide, our new travel advisor handbook and the latest marketing resources for travel advisors.  Having all of these resources under one roof will allow our partners to effectively and efficiently offer travel insurance for the benefit of both their valued clients and their business.”

Despite cost of living worries and high airfares, Americans are showing no signs of slowing down on spending on their summer vacations. For the first time in Allianz Partners USA's annual Vacation Confidence Index, Americans’ total spend on summer vacations is likely to cross the $200 billion mark. It projects a spending total of about $214 billion. The figure represents around a 10% increase over 2022, and a huge 111% increase compared to pre-pandemic spending in 2019. According to the 15th Annual Vacation Confidence Index (VCI), Americans have doubled their summer vacation spending in just four years. In 2023, the average American household is anticipated to spend an average of $2,830 on their summer vacation. Three years after the pandemic, average expected vacation spending per household has increased by almost $1,000. “We expect to see a record-breaking number of American travelers this summer, which can mean an increased chance of travel delays,” said Daniel Durazo, Allianz director of external communications. “While inflation and strong demand have kept travel prices high, Americans are still willing to pay top dollar.” The Vacation Confidence Index has been conducted each summer since 2009 by national polling firm Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of Allianz Partners USA. It defines a leisure trip of at least one week to a place that is 100 miles or more from home. Allianz Partners offers travel insurance through most major US airlines, travel agents, OTAs, hotel companies, and cruise lines.  

 

Allianz Partners’ Annual Survey Highlights a 9% Increase in Rental Cars Booked for Popular 2023 Travel Season 

  The call of the open road has Americans getting behind the wheel to explore popular U.S. cities during spring break vacation season, according to travel insurance and assistance provider Allianz Partners USA. Rental vehicles both transport travelers to their chosen vacation destinations and provide the freedom to explore from the comfort of a private vehicle. Following a significant inventory shortage in rental fleets during the pandemic, this year’s survey delivers a notable 9% increase in rental car bookings over last year.   With many Americans having abandoned a daily commute in favor of remote work, spring break presents an alluring opportunity to literally take the road less traveled. Allianz Partners USA’s review of the top rental car locations for spring break 2023 reveals a preference for beaches and other southerly U.S. cities including perennial favorites Orlando, Phoenix and Los Angeles in the top three positions. Rounding out the top 10 rental car destinations are Las Vegas, Tampa, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Denver, Dallas, and San Diego. To generate this year’s list, Allianz Partners USA reviewed rental car reservations for mid-February thru mid-April from its partners that offer the Allianz Rental Car Damage Protector product. The car rental findings align with a recent survey of the company’s airline customers that found that 84% of travelers taking spring break trips in 2023 will remain stateside for the traditional travel season.   “Upgraded rental fleets from electric to luxury vehicles also elevate the appeal of a rental car for spring break travelers looking to add vacation perks,” said Daniel Durazo, director of external communications for Allianz Partners USA. “Available on many of our annual products and as an optional add-on in some of our single trip products, Allianz’s Rental Car Damage Protector provides the coverage, benefits and service travelers need at a reasonable cost, which can save both time and money at the rental car counter.”   Allianz Partners offers its Rental Car Damage Protector through leading travel providers and directly to consumers as an alternative to the typically higher priced collision damage insurance products that are available at traditional rental car counters. The product provides primary coverage, includes no deductible, can be purchased for domestic or most overseas rentals and is backed by Allianz’s award-winning customer service and 24/7 travel assistance. Rental Car Damage Protector* plans may include $1,000 in Trip Interruption coverage, which can be used to reimburse travelers for the unused portion of their pre-paid expenses or for extra unexpected transportation expenses when insured customers have to cut their trip short due to a reason covered by their policy. It also may include $1,000 in coverage for lost, damaged or stolen baggage.  

Top Domestic Destinations for Spring Break 2023 Car Rentals

    Methodology: U.S. travelers’ 2023 spring break car rental data was gathered by analyzing 22,506 reservations made through the online booking process of car rental insurance paths for partners offering Allianz Global Assistance to generate rental car bookings from U.S. airports during Spring Break season, defined as February 17 - April 17, 2023.   

 

A Majority of Americans Have Traveled in the Last Year and Confidence in Taking an Annual Vacation Hits Record Levels

  Now more than ever, Americans are claiming their vacation days and making time to travel a priority. According to Allianz Partners USA’s 14th Annual Vacation Confidence Index*, a majority of Americans have taken a vacation in the last year, marking a significant milestone in the survey’s decade-plus-long history. In fact, they have never been as steadfast about the importance of taking an annual vacation, or more confident in using their hard-earned PTO days.   Defining a vacation as leisure travel of at least a week to a destination 100 miles or more away from home, the survey revealed that 57% of Americans have taken a vacation in the last year. Up from 44% last year, 2022 marks the highest percentage of Americans who reported traveling in the last year since 2009, when the survey was first conducted. Of the respondents who have traveled in the last year, two in 10 (22%) traveled in the three months leading up to the survey, with the 18-34 year old demographic (29%) leading this trend.   Signifying a new norm of Americans prioritizing vacationing, Allianz’s survey also found that three-quarters of Americans (74%) consider an annual vacation important, a huge leap from 60% in 2019 and one point higher than last year. Mirroring this trend, confidence in taking a vacation this year also has never been higher, with 65% of Americans expressing positive intentions to vacation, up two points from last year and a stunning 13 points over the highest prior year surveyed (52% in 2014).     Allianz Partners USA also defined a “vacation deficit” as the percentage of Americans who say an annual vacation is important to them, but are not confident they will take one this year. In 2022, the percentage of Americans who are experiencing a vacation deficit returns to 19% compared to 44% in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. With more Americans back to traveling, and with vacation intentions remaining strong, the vacation deficit is nearing an all-time low.   Looking at those who have been waiting longer to travel (43% of Americans have not taken a vacation in a year or more, down 13 points from last year), older Americans ages 55+ are demonstrating more hesitancy (55%) than their younger counterparts (41% for ages 35-54 and 31% for ages 18-34), as are lower-income Americans (56% of those making less than $50,000/year versus 34% who make more than $100,000).     “Our latest Vacation Confidence Index proves that taking an annual vacation has never been more important to Americans, and we’re seeing record levels of confidence that they’ll travel between now and the end of the year,” said Daniel Durazo, director of external communications at Allianz Partners USA. “Instead of banking those PTO days, Americans are viewing their vacation time as a much-needed getaway to support their mental health.”   The Vacation Confidence Index has been conducted each summer since 2009 by national polling firm Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of Allianz Partners USA.   In March 2021, Allianz Partners announced enhancements** to many of its travel insurance products in most states through an Epidemic Coverage Endorsement. Products that include this endorsement may provide coverage to customers who become ill with COVID-19 or a future epidemic, are individually ordered to quarantine, or are denied boarding due to a suspected illness. These products also may cover emergency medical care and transportation or provide reimbursement for change fees and loyalty points deposit fees if the customer becomes ill with an epidemic disease. Availability of the Epidemic Coverage Endorsement, and specific covered reasons under that endorsement, varies by product and by state. See your plan for details.   Allianz Partners offers travel insurance through most major U.S. airlines, leading travel agents, online travel agencies, hotel companies, cruise lines and directly to consumers. For more information on Allianz and available travel policies, please visit http://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/.

JetBlue Travel Products announced a multi-year partnership extension with Allianz Partners USA. The partnership offers JetBlue customers insurance cover to protect both their flights and vacation packages. The contract cements Allianz Partners as the official travel insurance provider of JetBlue Airways and JetBlue Travel Products. JetBlue Vacations travel advisors can now offer Allianz Travel Insurance plans over the phone to customers purchasing JetBlue packages. Products include Allianz’s Epidemic Endorsement, which covers travelers for cancellations, interruptions and medical emergencies due to illness with Covid-19 or a future epidemic. Since the pandemic, JetBlue Travel Products says it has seen a surge in demand for travel insurance. “We’re giving our customers more insurance options, so they can feel comfortable and prepared for their unique travel needs,” said Andres Barry, president, JetBlue Travel Products. “JetBlue has been proud to partner with Allianz for over a decade.”

 

REVISED COURSE!

Allianz Partners Specialist Program

A whole range of content has been distilled into three new engaging chapters, making it even easier to learn how to protect your clients’ vacation investments and add value to your services.

  What You’ll Learn  

• How the latest technology can help you to supercharge your sales:

  AgentMax Online: the award-winning, web-based selling tool TravelSmartTM: the travel safety app that helps your clients stay aware of their surroundings—plus easily reach help, access plan details, and file a claim on the go. More Tools to Make Your Sales Easier: like the agent marketing guide, turnkey multimedia marketing campaigns, and more  

• Key points to help you educate a diverse range of clients on why travel insurance is valuable and how it can protect them and their vacation investments

  Agents certified through The Travel Institute can earn credits toward maintaining their certification upon completion of this course.  

 

Beach Destinations from Hawaii to Florida Are Shore-to-Please Americans While City Breakers Head to Boston, New York and Los Angeles

  The 2022 summer season is shaping up to be a busy one, according to Allianz Partners’ Top 10 Summer Destinations review. Travel will be up 16% over last year with almost 75% of Americans planning to travel domestically for their summer vacations.   The travel insurance and assistance company analyzed more than 1,175,000 flight itineraries* for trips between five and eight days in length and for the sixth year in a row, found that Orlando, Florida and Cancun, Mexico are the most popular domestic and international destinations respectively for 2022 summer travel.   Tropical destinations continue the trend with the Hawaiian Islands taking two coveted spots as visitors plan to trips to Honolulu (#3), Oahu and Kahului (#5), Maui following the easement of Hawaii’s Safe Travel Program in March. The Pacific Northwest gained favor this year – Seattle, Washington (#2) moved up two slots from last year’s ranking and Portland, Oregon (#9) appeared on the Top 10 list for the first time since 2019.   Internationally, Americans are flocking to additional Mexico destinations outside of Cancun including San José del Cabo (#2, no change from last year) and Puerto Vallarta (#6, up from #9). Montego Bay, Jamaica (#4) and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (#5) moved up two and three spots respectively from last year, highlighting the Caribbean’s lasting allure for sun worshippers looking for an international dose of Vitamin D.   “Our findings show that ‘revenge travel’ is about to be taken to a whole new level in summer 2022,” said Daniel Durazo, director of external communications at Allianz Partners. “While it’s no surprise that Americans are planning to kick back and relax in sun-soaked destinations both domestically and internationally, U.S. cities that were once buzzing tourist destinations pre-pandemic, like Boston, New York and Los Angeles, are seeing a significant return of travelers this summer as well, signaling a positive step in tourism recovery.”   In March 2021, Allianz Partners announced enhancements** to many of its travel insurance products in most states through an Epidemic Coverage Endorsement. Products that include this endorsement may provide coverage to customers who become ill with COVID-19 or a future epidemic, are individually ordered to quarantine, or are denied boarding due to a suspected illness. These products may also cover emergency medical care and transportation or provide reimbursement for change fees and loyalty points deposit fees if the customer becomes ill with an epidemic disease. Availability of the Epidemic Coverage Endorsement, and specific covered reasons under that endorsement, varies by product and by state. See your plan for details.   Allianz Partners offers travel insurance through most major U.S. airlines, leading travel agents, online travel agencies, hotel companies, cruise lines and directly to consumers.

  Travel insurance and assistance company Allianz Partners USA is contacting customers who are traveling in India right now as the country faces the world’s worst coronavirus outbreak, with more than 17.6 million cases since the pandemic began last year.   As the US State department advises Americans to leave the country, Allianz Partners is reaching out to 150+ customers who are currently in India to provide assistance – including rebooking policyholders’ travel arrangements and providing additional customer service support like contacting loved ones at home to provide status updates on their journeys home.   “Our Travel Assistance operations team at Allianz is available 24/7 to assist customers who may need our help,” said Daniel Durazo, director of marketing & communications. “The events in India are heart-wrenching and our team is working around the clock to ensure our customers are provided with the help they may need. Customers who need help us can also contact us with one touch from their Allianz TravelSmart mobile app or call the phone number on their travel insurance policy.”   Recently, the travel insurance and assistance company added epidemic coverage to travel insurance products to provide additional coverage and benefits to specific epidemic-related situations.

 

Allianz Partners USA Reviews Top Summer Destinations; Orlando and Cancun Named Most Popular Destination for Five Years Running, Hawaii Makes Waves and Caribbean Heats Up

  This year, Americans are making up for lost time, according to Allianz Partners’ Top 10 Summer Destinations review. After last summer’s vacation plans were largely scuttled due to the pandemic, Americans are regaining confidence in 2021 and planning trips to Florida, Hawaii and the Caribbean.   The travel insurance and assistance company analyzed more than 985,000 flight itineraries* for trips between five and eight days in length and for the fifth year in a row, found that Orlando, Florida and Cancun, Mexico are the most popular domestic and international destinations for 2021 summer travel.   For the first time in the survey’s history, four of the top 10 domestic destinations are in Hawaii with travel-deprived Americans saying ‘aloha’ to Maui (#2), Honolulu (#3), Kauai (#7) and the Big Island (#8). Newcomer Anchorage, Alaska’s (#5) inclusion on the Top 10 domestic list reinforces that America’s love of the great outdoors and wide-open spaces will continue in 2021.   Internationally, Mexico appears three times on the Top 10 list; Cancun (#1) is followed by San Jose del Cabo (#2) and Puerto Vallarta comes in at ninth place. Additional Caribbean destinations completing the Top 10 include Aruba (#3), Puerto Rico (#4), U.S. Virgin Island (#5), Jamaica (#6), Turks and Caicos (#7), Dominican Republic (#8) and the Bahamas (#10).   The pandemic has also seemingly impacted Americans’ trip length preference, with many favoring longer getaways over quick jaunts. The travel insurance and assistance company found almost two-thirds (59%) of travelers are taking seven-night journeys and one in four (37%) are opting for six nights away, compared to 2019 when four-night getaways were the most popular choice (30%), giving rising to the ‘micro-cation’ trend.   Whether headed on an international beach getaway or visiting a smaller metropolitan city (Seattle, #4; Las Vegas, #6; Boston, #9; Miami #10), it’s important to understand and follow safe travel rules and regulations. Remember to take photos of vaccination cards and test results, save them on your phone and make physical copies. Keep copies in a few different places and laminate one; in the case of a vaccine card, don’t laminate the original, as you may need to document future booster shots on it.   “For those who are vaccinated, Summer 2021 will be a welcome return to travel after a very long lockdown. For those who won’t yet be vaccinated or who are traveling with unvaccinated children, it’s important to protect your trip with a travel insurance plan that includes coverage for COVID-related illnesses,” said Daniel Durazo, director of marketing and communications for Allianz Partners, USA. “Allianz has rolled out temporary accommodations and permanent enhancements to some of our products that cover travelers if they become ill with COVID either before or during their trip.  As we begin to turn the corner back to normalcy, some unexpected situations can still pop up and it’s important to have access to 24/7 travel assistance that can help consumers navigate travel disruptions and find local attractions and accommodations.”   Although Allianz travel insurance products generally do not cover known, foreseeable, or expected events, epidemics, government prohibitions, warnings, or travel advisories, or fear of travel, Allianz Partners USA recently announced the rollout of its new Epidemic Coverage Endorsement, which adds enhancements for new purchasers of some of its travel insurance products that may provide coverage to customers who become ill with COVID-19 or a future epidemic, are individually ordered to quarantine,** or are denied boarding due to a suspected illness. This new coverage formalizes and adds to some of the temporary accommodations the company put into place in March 2020 to assist travelers who had been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.   Allianz Partners offers travel insurance through most major U.S. airlines, leading travel agents, online travel agencies and directly to consumers.  

  Travel insurance and assistance company Allianz Partners is rolling out Covid-19 enhancements to its travel insurance products. The new inclusions formalize and add to some of the temporary accommodations the company put into place in March 2020 to assist travelers who had been impacted by the Covid-19 crisis. Specifically, the enhancements add epidemic-related illness as a covered reason to cancel or interrupt a trip, or seek reimbursement for emergency medical care, emergency medical transportation, change fees and loyalty points redeposit fees. The enhancements also allow insured customers to cancel or interrupt their trip if they or their traveling companion have been individually ordered to quarantine, regardless of whether they are ill or have tested positive for a disease. The trip interruption and travel delay benefits on certain plans will also provide coverage if a customer or their traveling companion is denied boarding by their travel carrier due to suspicion of illness. These epidemic enhancements are currently available on certain Allianz Global Assistance travel insurance products offered through retail partners and directly to consumers in most states "The Covid-19 crisis has created an unprecedented hardship on both travelers and the travel industry," said Richard Aquino, Vice President and Head of Sales at Allianz Partners USA. "We're pleased to announce that we've added epidemic enhancements to many of our products that provide the coverage and benefits that are so valuable to today's traveler." Meeting requirements at certain destinations that travelers have coverage for quarantine-related accommodations, Allianz provides trip interruption coverage if an insured customer or their traveling companion is individually-ordered to quarantine while on their trip.  Under these benefits, insured customers may be eligible for reimbursement of the cost of additional food, lodging and transportation while quarantined. Additionally, as a temporary accommodation, customers who become ill with Covid-19 while on their trip will not be subject to the trip interruption benefit's five-day maximum limit for additional accommodation and transportation expenses.  

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