Travel insurance is becoming standard: 58% passengers consider it essential for every journey.
New research from Amadeus shows that travel protection is increasingly failing to function as a mere add-on to a booking. Travellers want it, but they expect clear pricing, relevant cover and an offering tailored to the specific trip.
Amadeus research The New Rules of Travel Protection shows how much passengers' attitudes towards travel insurance and other forms of travel protection have changed. As many as 74% of respondents purchase some form of protection for at least one trip a year, while 58% consider it essential for all journeys. Among those who have travelled abroad in the last year, this proportion rises to 70%.
The research was conducted for Amadeus by Opinium Research among a sample of 3,000 travellers during the fourth quarter of 2025.
Travellers do not want the same product for every trip
The key change concerns the relevance of the offer. As many as 61% travellers are more willing to purchase protection when it matches the risks of a specific trip. For example, a skiing holiday may require different cover from a trip to tropical regions.
The most sought-after cover is for medical emergencies, cited by 501 TP3T of respondents. Next are trip cancellation or interruption at 431 TP3T, lost or delayed baggage at 351 TP3T, and flight delays and missed connections at 311 TP3T.
At the same time, travellers who do not purchase protection often do not reject it entirely. For shorter or cheaper trips, 52% simply do not see enough value in it, while 37% consider the product too expensive.
The booking process is becoming an important sales channel
For Travel companies The purchase moment is particularly interesting. During the booking process itself, 431 out of 1,000 passengers purchase the protection, but the share rises to 581 out of 1,000 when it is offered together with a flight, hotel or car hire. In addition, 411 out of 1,000 customers opt for the protection after booking but before the start of their journey.
That opens up space for agencies, OTAs, airlines and hotel platforms. Travel insurance it is no longer just an ancillary product at the end of the sales process. Well-integrated and clearly explained protection can become part of the customer experience, as well as an additional source of revenue for travel sellers. A similar trend of expanding integrated protection and its potential to increase loyalty and ancillary revenue is already visible in the wider travel insurance market.
