On November 2, the travel sector’s top suppliers, advisors and media met in Fort Lauderdale to celebrate the ninth annual Travvy Awards Gala, where the industry’s cream-of-the-crop companies received accolades for their achievements this year. Produced by TravelPulse and AGENTatHOME, the Travvy Awards are held to recognized the travel industry's top suppliers across various sectors each year, with winners selected through voting by an audience of travel advisors who know their products best.
With a more than 300 awards being distributed this year, the list of categories covered all aspects of travel, including airlines, destinations, hotels, resorts, cruise lines, tour operators, car rental companies, and more. Among them was a category, dedicated to acknowledging the top providers of travel insurance, a trip-planning component that has seen growing consumer demand since COVID-19 caused the derailment of so many travel arrangements a few years back.
Gold Awards
For the eighth consecutive year, the prestigious Gold Travvy went to Allianz Partners in both the of the insurance-related categories: Overall Best Travel Insurance Provider and Best Travel Insurance Company for Customer Service.
A key reason behind the travel protection company’s consistent success is the is the 24/7 support and assurance they provide, not only to customers, but also their advisors. Travelers can proceed boldly with their travel plans, safe in the knowledge that they can reach multilingual customer service teams, present in 35 different countries, at any hour of the day or night. Specialists are on hand to assist customers in case of emergency, whether that be a medical issue, flight cancellation, passport loss or virtually any other trip-related issue arises while you’re abroad.
And, when you don’t necessarily need to speak with a person, the Allianz TravelSmart app ensures that you can access your plan details, file and track claims, receive real-time flight updates, stay informed about boarding gate changes, receive location-based alerts concerning events that might affect your travel plans and locate nearby medical facilities in your destination, among other things.
Certificate of travel insurance from Allianz. (photo courtesy of Allianz Partners USA)
Silver Awards
Sweeping the second-place spot, AIG Travel Guard secured two Silver Travvys, one each for the Best Travel Insurance Overall and Best Customer Service categories. AIG Travel Guard stands out for the breadth of plan types it offers, with options that cater to both leisure and business travelers, whether their trips are international and domestic.
The company also enables offers travel advisors to tailor protection coverage packages for their clients, using only the individual product elements they need. This enhanced degree of flexibility and personalization is one of qualities that sets AIG Travel Guard apart in the industry.
Customers’ coverage can be extended to apply to an array of unforeseen unfortunate situations, including trip cancellations, medical expenses, security or medical evacuations, rental vehicle damage, and baggage delays or losses, or include such specialized coverages as lodging expenses, trip saver, or trip exchange. IAG Travel Guard maintains a vast network of service centers across Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Travel insurance is an important part of vacation planning. (photo via iStock / Getty Images Plus / Andrei Sauko)
Bronze Awards
Once again, this year, International Medical Group (IMG) Travel Insurance was awarded the Bronze statuette for Best Travel Insurance Provider Overall. This premier provider specializes in creating protection plan policies that cater to various segments, including vacationers, business travelers, study-abroad students, global citizens and expatriates. Coverage is available for everything from trip cancellations and delays, lost or stolen luggage, or overseas healthcare and dental costs to life and disability insurance. Its policyholders are supported by dedicated teams of multilingual emergency specialists and highly trained customer service agents that are distributed internationally.
In the category of Best Travel Insurance Provider for Customer Service, this year’s Bronze award went to C&F Travel Insured International. Connecticut-based C&F Travel Insured International offers 24/7 customer service support access, as well as providing to non-insurance travel assistance services to help travelers with retrieving lost baggage, replacing lost or stolen passports, visa information, replacing eyeglasses or prescription medication, emergency cash advances and legal assistance, all at no extra cost. Not only does the company offer plans directly to customers, it also partners with travel advisors who are looking to help their clients protect their travel investment. Advisors are assigned a dedicated account manager who can address general inquiries, special circumstances, claims questions and any other aspect of C&F’s trip coverage.
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