The market for international travel insurance saw a significant divergence in travel destinations for Austrian tourists in the summer of 2026. According to analyses by the online comparison portal Durchblicker for the first half of 2026, interest in travel insurance for South Korea increased by 63 percent compared to the same period of the previous year.
The People's Republic of China also recorded a significant increase in insurance inquiries, rising by 34 percent. In contrast, established long-haul destinations such as the USA, despite the ongoing FIFA World Cup, saw a decline of 20 percent, while demand for policies for travel to Turkey also fell by 22 percent.
A key factor in the increased interest in South Korea is the global spread of South Korean pop culture, as well as the simplified entry requirements of recent years. Almost half of the insurance inquiries for this destination came from people under 30. In contrast, industry experts point out that the stagnation in traditional long-haul travel to the USA is also related to the persistently high overall travel costs and increased medical care costs there, which makes purchasing supplemental insurance more expensive.
Additional pressure on travelers to purchase international health insurance is being created by changing legal frameworks in destination countries. Countries like Thailand are considering introducing mandatory health insurance for foreign tourists. At the same time, authorities in Japan have announced measures to combat unpaid medical expenses incurred by foreign tourists, which could even lead to re-entry bans. European social security systems generally do not cover medical expenses outside the European Economic Area, meaning that treatment must be paid for privately.
Despite the increasing need for medical insurance, consumer advocates point to significant price and performance differences in the insurance market. Credit card add-ons often have gaps, as they are tied to minimum spending requirements or provide insufficient coverage for cancellation fees and accompanying family members. At the same time, the cost-effectiveness of annual policies compared to single-trip policies is highly dependent on actual travel behavior, since frequent-traveler plans often contain stricter exclusion clauses for unforeseen trip cancellations.