Italy Ski Insurance Now Required: Book With a Travel Agent

Italy recently announced that ski insurance is now required for all skiers and snowboarders who visit. They are the first destination to make this a necessary requirement.

Specifically applying to the ski slopes in Italy, the country made the decision that all skiers and snowboarders using the slopes will need third-party liability insurance for winter sports when they visit. They are uncertain how this will be policed as of yet.

This news was uploaded on the PlanetSKI website and said, “the penalty for not [having insurance] will be a fine up to €150 and the withdrawal of the ski pass.” It reported that an official decree stated, “the skier who uses the alpine ski slopes must have valid insurance covering his civil liability for damages or injuries caused to third parties”.

Estimates made by PlanetSKI claim that estimates suggest around 20% of UK travellers to Italy don’t take out Winter Sports Insurance to use the ski slopes. This is something that is aimed to be changed by making insurance mandatory to ski.

As the first country and destination to make this a requirement, and a popular ski destination for UK travellers, this is quite an important change. Amidst the excitement of the ski season, that last thing you want as a traveller is to turn up in gorgeous Italy to sail down the slopes and get your Ski Pass revoked because you weren’t aware that you needed insurance.

This is where booking with an expert travel agent is a game-changer and can give you complete peace of mind.

Though we always recommend getting a good travel insurance policy, especially if you’re going on a more active holiday, travel insurance may not be a requirement in many cases (you can find out more about why travel insurance is important and how to find good travel insurance in our articles). Because of this, it may not be something that comes to mind immediately when checking off the list of things you need to do before you travel.

We always recommend that travellers check destination requirements before they book by visiting the Foreign Travel Advice page, however, the support of an expert travel agent is incredibly valuable when changes like this occur.

A travel agent selling you a ski holiday in Italy will know all the restrictions and requirements that you need to be aware of, from the expiration date on your passport, to whether you need to wear a mask in restaurants, and, of course, if you need travel insurance to use the slopes.

This is what your travel agent is for, after all. If you do miss something like this when looking at requirements yourself, having that second pair of expert eyes can make all the difference. This is why we highly recommend travellers book with an expert, whether you’re a new traveller, a veteran, or you’ve always booked independently, the financial protection that a travel agent provides and the advice they can offer with the holidays they sell is excellent.

This development in Italy is an interesting one. The requirement for skiers and snowboarders to have Winter Sports Insurance to use the slopes will mean that more travellers will have the holiday protection of travel insurance, something we see as a bonus, but it is a new change that doesn’t apply elsewhere and may take adjusting to.

Next to the expert advice travel agents have that will give you complete peace of mind when you’re booking, travel agents also provide some excellent financial protection through the Package Travel Regulations, and if you book with a Protected Trust Services (PTS) member, they also provide complete financial protection through our travel trust account (you can find out more about how to find a good travel agent in our article).

So, if you’re looking forward to booking a great holiday, don’t forget to get in touch with a travel business registered with PTS and offering 100% financial protection through trust. Or, if you’d like assistance choosing one of our lovely members to book with, you can contact PTS directly at 0207 190 9988.

And, if you’d like to learn more about your consumer protection with PTS and how the Package Travel Regulations protect your holiday booking, check out our pages and articles.