FCO: More Britons being hospitalised abroad

The Foreign Office has reported that Britons are increasingly running into trouble overseas.

Travel Insurance News - 23/07/2012

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The Foreign Office has reported that Britons are increasingly running into trouble overseas.

New figures from the agency show that 3,729 travellers from the UK were admitted to casualty departments abroad last year, with the number of cases rising dramatically in popular holiday destinations in Spain.

The number of hospital cases in Majorca has increased by 132 per cent in the last 24 months, with the primary culprit being drugs and drinking, officials said in the most recent addition of the British Behaviour Abroad survey.

Travel experts say that holidaymakers not only need to ensure that they’ve taken out coverage but also must carefully consider each policy, as engaging in drinking, drugs certain activities such as hiring a moped can result in a denial of benefits. Consular minister Jeremy Browne said in a statement that travellers should carefully research their destination prior to setting out and to closely read the fine print of insurance policies.

Meanwhile, the number of stolen passports, as well as serious incidents including rapes and deaths also grew over the same period, climbing from 19,228 in 2009 to 19.874 in 2011, a rise of 3 per cent.

The highest number of total consular assistance inquiries took place in Spain, the United States and France over the last two years, officials said.

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