Analytics, Baltic, Insurance, Tourism, Transport

The poll showed that 61% of respondents had not deemed it necessary to purchase travel insurance, 17% said they had forgot to buy insurance and 8% claimed that nothing bad cannot happen to them.

Residents of the Latvian capital Riga and the surrounding region are most insurance-conscious as 56% of them buy travel insurance before embarking on a trip to Lithuania or Estonia.

Also, 33% of Latvian travelers neglect to purchase travel insurance even when traveling to more distant destinations.

"Most people in Latvia still do not perceive Lithuania or Estonia as foreign countries. They forget not only to buy travel insurance but also to take with them valid personal identification documents," said Balta's representative, Sandra Pietkevica.

She pointed out that various accidents and emergencies could happen also during the trips to the neighboring countries and might have serious financial and other consequences.

The number of claims under travel insurance filed by Balta's customers in the neighboring Baltic states so far this year has soared seven times compared to the same period last year, the insurance company's representative said.

The online poll was conducted in cooperation with Rait pollster between September 5 and September 7 among 301 respondents throughout Latvia.