New Zealand is the most popular holiday destination for travelling Australians according to a new report – but our neighbours are being warned to make sure they have suitable travel insurance cover as they suffer a spike of overseas deaths.
Austalia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Julie Bishop, told choice.com.au that she is proud of the level of help offered by the department, though she does concede that consular assistance is not a guaranteed right.
“There are limits to the assistance the government can provide. Australians who choose to travel overseas should be as prepared and self-reliant as possible,” Bishop said. “Uninsured travellers who are hospitalised overseas or need medical evacuation can face crippling medical bills. Medicare and the government will not cover those expenses.”
According to the report, more than 1,600 Australian died while travelling overseas last financial year, 9% higher than the year before – and this number includes a rise in murders.
Latest figures from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade showed more than 10 million Australians travelled overseas during 2016-2017.
Countries where most consular assistance was sought for overseas deaths were Thailand (203), Philippines (126), Indonesia and the United States. Thailand was ranked the fourth most popular travel destination for Australians with 529,000 visitors, behind New Zealand (1,316,000), the USA and the UK, the report said.
The department reportedly attributed the spike to more elderly people travelling and retiring overseas. The causes most responsible for overseas deaths were falling ill (446), natural causes (340) and accidents (211). Recorded changes from a year ago were by single digits, except for the difference in deaths from natural causes, which rose significantly by 58 people.
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