According to research published by Aviva*, one in seven people travel abroad without the correct winter sports insurance yet 64% also admitted they would not be able to pay for any medical expenses. Ski holidays tend to be costly without anything going wrong so to help ski enthusiasts prevent further costs, Airport Parking and Hotels has compiled a comprehensive guide highlighting ski insurance policies. This is available in the Know Before You Go section, at www.aph.com/skiinsurance2014.

The guide highlights the travel insurance policies available in both Europe and Worldwide, comparing the costs and stipulations across 18 major travel insurance companies including Direct Line, HSBC and AA.

With regards to the cost of winter sports insurance in Europe, prices vary greatly between companies with some significantly more expensive than others. Lloyds TSB and OUL Classic for example, charge £59.04 and £62.32 respectively for an Individual Single Trip policy whereas Preferential Travel  and Flexicover charge only £13.92 and £20.80 respectively, for similar policies.

The cost of winter sports cover for emergency medical expenses and damage to ski equipment, for a Family Single Trip Worldwide, was also found to vary greatly with Barclays offering the most affordable option at £60.33 and the most expensive policy available with OUL Classic, at £641.38 for Classic Cover.

Most of the insurance companies offer similar benefits to policy holders, including cover on ski equipment, piste closure and delays owing to avalanches. However some insurance firms, such as Endsleigh, were more generous, also including allowance for replacement of ski passes and reimbursement of ski school fees. Certain insurance providers offer a longer length of cover than others, with OUL Classic offering up to 31 days of annual cover whereas Marks and Spencers offers up to 17 days.

With 10,000 Britons injuring themselves while on winter sports holidays to the extent that they need hospital treatment, it is essential that skiers are also aware of medical emergency cover provided by each insurance company. A large proportion of ski insurance firms will cover up to £10,000,000 for medical emergencies covers, with a standard excess of £50. However some offer less as in the case of OUL Classic and InsureandGo, who provide a still hefty £5,000,000 of medical emergency cover.

For further information on Airport Parking and Hotels (APH) visit,

www.aph.com or call 01342 859515.

-ENDS-

Airport Parking and Hotels (APH) is the UK's award winning long stay airport parking operator and booking agency, after winning the Best Airport Parking Company for a fourth year running at British Travel Awards 2013. This year APH also celebrates its 33rd year as a retailer and operator of pre-booked airport parking and travel extras. APH offers parking at all major UK airports as well as airport hotels packaged with parking and airport lounges. APH is also a carbon balanced company and has, through support of the World Land Trust, helped purchase more than 1,000 acres of endangered rainforest.

Note To Editors

*Research published on 2nd December 2013

Media Enquiries

Sarah Salord / Jessica Meins / Alice Walker / 020 8747 2170 / aph@mccluskey.co.uk