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Brits reveal 2012 Olympic travel plans

Many will travel abroad in order to avoid the hype around the games.

The opinions on the best way to enjoy the Olympics with travel insurance amongst the British public are split. While millions are planning totake time off work in order to take in the magic of the biggest sporting event on earth, many others will be leaving the country so that they can keep away from the hype.

The games take place during the busiest time of the year for people to take holidays, between July and August, and the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has said that it expects 40 per cent of the British public to take time off work, whether it be to watch or avoid the games, during the two month period.

Respondents to its survey were split, however, with 2.5 million saying that they will take time off with the specific intention of watching or travelling to the games to soak up the atmosphere through staycationing, and staying in London hotels.

However, not everyone is feeling the spirit of the Olympics, with 12 per cent saying they intend to travel overseas in order to avoid the games. Read more…

China’s Medical Tourists Heading to Taiwan

Starting January 1st 2012, visitors from Mainland China are allowed to travel to nearby Taiwan for the express purpose of medical tourism. The first application made by Chinese travelers seeking medical treatment has already been submitted to Taiwan’s National Immigration Agency and many more are now expected to come throughout the year to take advantage of the cross-strait healthcare advantages made available through this new initiative.

In the past, Mainland Chinese tourists bound for Taiwan were not allowed to officially declare that they would be visiting the Asian island nation solely for medical tourism reasons. T

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Earth’s extremes offer ultimate escapism

Arctic and Antarctic holidays are increasing in popularity.

Holidays to the extremities of the world are becoming more popular with people who are looking for something a little different for their money these days.

According to one expert, there is a new wave of people who want to head off to experience breaks in either the Arctic or Antarctic, because these holidays can offer them the “ultimate escapism”.

Rosie Fuller, editor of Adventure Travel magazine, said that while reaching the Antarctic was once something that most people could only ever dream of doing for themselves, it is now becoming not only a reality, but a regular occurrence for a lot of people.

“Even in my lifetime, Antarctica has gone from being the place I dream of reaching but know Ill never get to, to somewhere I dream of going, and who knows, one day it might just happen,” she said.

Ms Fuller went on to say that it was without doubt the fact that this year marked the 100th anniversary of the famous Robert Falcon Scotts doomed arctic expedition was fuelling the interest for many people in travelling to the area, while she said TV documentaries which show the area can also help it rise in popularity.

This was something which was recently backed up by the Association of British Travel Agents, when it said that people are becoming interested in heading north and south due to the popularity of the BBCs massive hit documentary series Frozen Planet, which, like other programmes, inspires “wanderlust” among those looking for something a little different.

Ms Fuller said that the idea of the ultimate escapism in the arctic and Antarctic gives a number of reason why people are drawn there.

“The draw of Antarctica is endless – endless space, isolation, staggering wilderness and beauty– thats a small start of what appeals to me about the place anyway.”

Maldives Enlists Allied Insurance for Universal Health Insurance

The Maldivian government will move forward on plans to engage in a public private partnership with Allied Insurance to provide universal health insurance in the island nation.

The government had previously invited insurance companies to draw up plans for providing universal health insurance for the island and submit them to be considered for the partner position.

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Guimaraes an ideal destination for 2012, expert says

The Portuguese city of Guimaraes is an excellent place to visit on holiday, according to Turismo de Lisboa.

Travel insurance customers may wish to consider the Portuguese city of Guimaraes as a holiday destination next year, after local tourism experts highlighted its rich cultural heritage.Isabel Salgueiro, a spokesperson for Turismo de Lisboa and an account executive at Hills Balfour, said the location is “one of the most historic places in Portugal”.Guimaraes, along with Slovenias Maribor, will be the European Capital of Culture next year, with a number of efforts being made to emphasise its art scene. Read more…

New China Life Approved for Shanghai IPO

New China Life Insurance, the country’s third largest life insurer by premium volume, received approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission this week for its planned Shanghai initial public offering, kicking off the company’s Shanghai-Hong Kong dual listing that has targeted up to US$4 billion in fresh fundraising before the end of the year. This dual listing could be the first in a series of IPOs by prominent Mainland insurance companies, as firms seek out capital to boost margins and fund expansion plans in the world’s second largest economy.

In their IPO prospectus, New China Life have outlined how they plan to sell as many as 158.5 million shares in Shanghai (A-share offering) and up to 358.4 million in Hong Kong (H-share), with an option to expand it further by another 15 percent. Accor

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