Exciting and off the beaten track destinations are proving popular amongst British travellers keen to explore their adventurous side. According to a study by the Commonwealth Office FCO, nearly 12% of Brits have visited areas listed on the FCO “don’t go” list in the last 5 years.

British holidaymakers keen to pursue this “extreme adventure tourism” are reportedly lured in by interesting cultural exchanges. The FCO survey found that nearly 50% of travellers visiting locations listed as risky by FCO end up becoming victims of some form of crime.

Britons have been warned against travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other countries such as Somalia, Afghanistan, Georgia, Iraq, Israel and Palestine, Lebanon, Nigeria, Thailand and Zimbabwe etc. UK’s advisory warnings against travelling to the UAE has been criticised by politicians who claim that undue focus is put on the risks from terrorism.

Recently, a group of western tourists with four Britons among them went on a package holiday to Iraq’s capital, Basra. None of them was able to get travel insurance, which meant they travelled uninsured to a FCO “don’t go” listed destination. Four years earlier, tourism chiefs in Basra who examined to prospects of western visitors thought there was a 70% to 80% chance they would be safe.

Is there a need for warnings?

The global risk of mounting terror threats against America and her allies means that British subjects can become easy targets in an attack, particularly when visiting the list of FCO disapproved countries. Industry sources believe that travel insurance can no longer be expected to protect those visiting such locations.

It is believed that the level of terrorist threat in the UAE is “high”. This means that it has reached the most severe of four risk levels. Other levels are in ascending order, “low”, “underlying” and “general”. FCO also lists other Gulf states, such as Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain, as having a “general” threat.

According to the FCO website, “terrorists may be planning to carry out attacks in the UAE”. It adds, “Attacks could be indiscriminate and could happen at any time, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers. You should maintain a high level of security awareness, particularly in public places”.

How safe is your cover

Venturing to the so-called “don’t go” locations could render a holidaymaker’s travel insurance invalid if they need to make a claim. It is believed that another 8% could be on their way to the black listed destinations in the next 12 months.

There is concern that the FCO travel advisory warning could result in inflated insurance premiums for those wishing to visit the UAE. Additionally, organisations could be discouraged from promoting exchanges between Britain and the UAE.

In the U.S and Canada, travel insurance providers will typically limit insurance benefits or invalidate them in cases where a policyholder has visited countries listed as dangerous or unsafe by official U.S. or Canadian government authorities.

Experts also advise holidaymakers to read the small print in their travel insurance policy in order to establish exactly what they are covered for. This may involve finding out the benefits offered by the policy for evacuations, costs of prepaid reservations, medical emergencies, and baggage loss either completely or partially invalidated.