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Direct
Travel Insurance and Cuba a comment by Philip Suter of jml
Property Services
I
was rather taken aback to read Simon Calder's column in Saturday
22nd November 08 Independent Traveller.
He
was writing about the fact that according to Direct Travel
Insurance Services, that there are now four nations that are
so dangerous that they are no longer covered. The four are
quoted Afghanistan, Sudan and Liberia. The fourth "dangerous
country" is Cuba!
Looking
into this further it would appear that Direct Travel is now
owned by the US
insurer AIG and consequently as far as the present the
US Admiistration is concerned Cuba one of its closest neighbours
is "a no go area". Trade restrictions have been in place for
over 50 years now and hopefully with President Obama taking
over in January 2009 things will improve.
I
have just taken a look at the Foreign and Commonwealth website.(2-12-08)
They mention the "dangers" in their travel summary page (Full
information here)
- The
hurricane season - "It runs
from June to November. Hurricanes Gustav and Ike struck
Cuba in August and September 2008 respectively causing considerable
damage to tourism infrastructure and resulting in food shortages
in many areas."
- "Most
visits to Cuba are trouble free. 255 British nationals required
consular assistance in Cuba in 2006-07. The main types of
incident for which they required consular assistance were
for replacing lost or stolen passports (51 cases); dealing
with deaths (4 cases); and hospitalisations (22 cases);
dealing with arrests, for a variety of reasons (5 cases);
and difficulties using debit/credit/cashpoint cards and
exchanging money as US dollars are no longer legal tender
in Cuba."
- "In
view of serious accidents that have involved tourists, you
should not use mopeds or three-wheel Coco-Taxis when travelling
around Cuba. Also, crime is on the increase, most commonly
in the form of opportunist theft (loss of travel bags, handbags,
etc containing passports and funds)."
- "You
must pay an airport departure tax of 25 Convertible Pesos
(CUCs) per person when leaving Cuba. This must be paid in
local currency"
- "Dengue
Fever is endemic to Latin America and the Caribbean and
can occur throughout the year. In 2007 there has been a
marked increase in the number of reported cases of dengue
across the region. "
- "There
is a low threat from terrorism. But you should be aware
of the global risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks which
could be in public areas, including those frequented by
expatriates and foreign travellers."
- "We
strongly recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel
and medical insurance before travelling. You should check
any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for all
the activities you want to undertake"
- Terrorism
- "There is a low threat from terrorism. But you should
be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate terrorist
attacks which could be in public areas, including those
frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers. In 1997,
Miami-based Cuban exiles launched a short-lived bombing
campaign against the Cuban tourist industry. An Italian
tourist was killed and other tourists injured, following
a bomb that exploded in one of Havana's main hotels. The
Cuban authorities say they arrested Miami-based Cuban exiles
entering Cuba with intent to attack tourist sites in early
2001."
- Crime
"Crime
is on the increase. Theft from luggage during baggage handling,
both on arrival and departure, is common. You should remove
all valuables, lock suitcases and have them shrink-wrapped
before check-in. In December 2006, a British tourist was
stabbed in Havana. The non-fatal stabbing took place as
the victim was being mugged in the early evening in the
Vedado area of Havana. In October 2005 in Havana there were
two incidents of robberies from foreign nationals by violence
and stabbing. One stabbing was fatal the other was superficial.
These attacks took place in the early hours in Centro Havana.
- You
should take all necessary precautions if you are in Centro
Havana at night. You should take a taxi to your accommodation
rather than walk, even if your accommodation is only a few
blocks away. There are a small number of bogus tour agents/taxis
operating at the airports and around old Havana. You should
not travel with anyone other than your recognised tour operator.
If you need to take a taxi, ensure it is a registered one
and not a private vehicle. There have been a number of attempted
robberies from vehicles on the Havana airport road; keep
doors and boots locked and do not stop other than at traffic
lights. Car-related crime and mugging incidents are increasing,
not only in Havana but Santiago and other areas less frequented
by tourists.
- There
have been attacks on foreigners using hire cars after staged
punctures and by bogus hitch-hikers. Do not pick people
up; if you get a puncture in a lonely spot, drive on several
kilometres preferably to a town, before stopping. Beware
of pickpockets and bag-snatchers, especially in the area
of Old Havana, on buses/trains, at major tourist sites and
in nightclubs. Don’t carry large amounts of cash when away
from your hotel; avoid wearing ostentatious/expensive jewellery;
leave travellers' cheques, credit cards, passports and other
important documents in a safe deposit or similar at your
hotel. If you pick up hitch-hikers, ensure you have no valuables
or important documentation temptingly within reach. You
should carry a copy of your passport and not the original,
which should be locked away with other valuables. Beware
of thefts from rooms, particularly in private guest houses
(‘casas particulares’). "
A
very comprehensive report, however no mention of the dangers
like you would find in the other 3 countries on the list.
I
have had annual travel
insurance from
Direct Travel for many years now (long before they were taken
over by AIG) and in fact was off to Cuba last November. I
did not cancel the trip because of the article as in fact
it came out a day after we should have returned, but because
we could not get a car rental for the period in question
It
was probably fortunate that we did not go as had we had a
claim they probably would not have paid out because we had
gone to such a dangerous place! Saying that of course Cuba
has thousands of European tourists visiting the country every
year. If I do go in 2009, I will have to get my travel insurance
from another provider
4th
December 2008 It
was reported in many newspaoers that a new poll was showing
that most Cuban Americans in Florida are in favour of lifting
the US trade embargo against Cuba. According to the report
fify five per cent of participants in the poll,which signals
hope for better US-Cuba relations opposed to continuing the
embargo that the United States has maintained against Cuba
for nearly fifty years.
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