Travel insurance may not cover canceled concerts abroad
Canceled concert abroad? Some travelers may be stuck paying for unused hotels and transportation if their insurance policy doesn't include event cancellation coverage.
The issue recently affected fans in Estonia who had planned to travel to Riga last week for a Pitbull concert that was canceled last-minute due to technical issues, leaving some with nonrefundable travel and lodging expenses.
Latvian public broadcaster LSM reported that 40,000 tickets had been sold for Pitbull's gig at Mežaparks Great Bandstand.
Estonian Insurance Association (EKsL) chair Tuuli Pärenson said standard travel insurance often does not cover losses caused by an organizer canceling an event.
"In cases like this, the insurance policy should be more than the basic coverage, which usually doesn't cover event cancellations," Pärenson said.
She noted travelers should specifically choose additional coverage, adding that not every Estonian insurer offers it.
Depending on the insurer, that protection may be sold as an optional travel insurance add-on, as part of trip disruption coverage or included in broader travel disruption policies.
In Estonia, LHV and BTA Insurance offer optional coverage for canceled events.
Joonas Kušvid, head of personal claims at If P&C Insurance, said his company's travel insurance does not cover expenses when an event is canceled by the organizer.
"In the Pitbull case specifically, we have two customers who contacted us after booking other accommodations and other arrangements," he said. "However, because the event was canceled by the organizer, it does not qualify as an insured event under our policy."
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Editor: Mari Peegel, Aili Vahtla
