Southern Cross Travel Insurance (SCTI) has just completed its 2025 round-up of travel insurance claims, and the results come with a surprising warning for holidaymakers. A visit to the Monkey Forest in Bali, or Monkey Island in Thailand may be on the top of your to-do list for your next holiday, but SCTI urges caution with the number of travel insurance claims resulting from monkey-related incidents surging by 350% in the past two years. While 78% of these claims were medical claims relating to bites or scratches from monkeys there were also several cases of theft-by-monkey.

In one case a traveller reported a gang of monkeys breaking into their villa in Bali and stealing a mobile phone. Others have had sunglasses and prescription lenses snatched straight off their faces. In another case, a child visiting Ubud Monkey Forest was hit in the eye by a monkey and required  two rabies shots and a course of antiviral medications to combat potential rabies exposure. 

The 2025 stats relating to Australian travellers shared by SCTI shows the total number of medical and evacuation claims has increased by 17% since 2023, with the top five claims totalling almost $1 million. 

One claim amounted to more than $490,000, paid for a traveller holidaying in the USA in their early 50s who suffered an unexpected and serious illness and had a prolonged stay in hospital. Interestingly 29% of medical and evacuation claims were for Aussie travellers to Indonesia - highlighting how essential travel insurance is for this destination.

Jess Strange, Chief Customer Officer at SCTI says: “Many people don't realise how quickly costs can add up when you fall ill or get injured overseas. Insurance isn't just about covering bills - it's about making sure you get the right care and support when you need it most.”

“In some situations, getting home safely isn't as simple as booking a standard flight,” says Strange. “Customers may need to travel with a medical team, which often means an air ambulance or chartered flight - costs that can quickly climb into six figures. Even something as simple as upgrading a stricken traveller to premium economy or business class can add thousands of dollars to the bill.

“Alarmingly, there has also been a significant increase in the number of travellers being treated for influenza in the past two years with the number of cases growing by 85%. The average cost for influenza related claims increased by 65% from an average of $1,299 in 2023 to $2,146 in 2025. Similarly, there has also been an 81% increase in the number of travellers contracting and requiring treatment for pneumonia. The average cost of these claims has increased by 24% from $3,736 to $4,641 in 2025.

“We have seen a concerning growth in the number of influenza-related claims in the past two years, with several cases requiring hospitalisation while abroad. Some of these cases develop into more serious cases of pneumonia”, says Strange.

The most common medical related claims were for gastro-related illnesses, which have increased by 64% between 2023 and 2025. The majority of these claims came from travellers visiting Indonesia and Thailand. These types of illnesses far outweighed other medical-related claims including trips and falls and respiratory conditions, with the average claim cost for gastroenteritis reaching $1,565. 

“While many travellers are familiar with a bout of diarrhoea or gastro-related illness while travelling, we're seeing that in some cases these can be quite serious and may require hospitalisation and further treatment. In one case a traveller fainted as a result of 'Bali belly' and subsequently required treatment for a concussion, leading to over $5,000 in unexpected medical expenses,” said Strange.

SCTI also noted a 26% increase in the number of claims related to slips, trips and falls, with costs associated with these claims increasing by 150% since 2023. In one case, a traveller visiting Kyrgyzstan fractured their hip due to a fall at a spa and required surgery and hospitalisation with a total claim cost of $70,171.

SCTI's five most expensive international travel insurance claims paid in 2025:

• A traveller in their early 50s suffered a stroke while on holiday in the United States. Requiring extensive support in a very expensive country in terms of healthcare costs, their claim came to $496,202. 
• A traveller in their 70s in Indonesia suffered a fractured femur, which required surgery and for the patient to be transported back to Australia via air ambulance which cost $157,088 alone (claim paid - $220,071) 
• An 80-year-old traveller tripped and fell simply doing their washing, fracturing their patella (kneecap), while on holiday in Spain, requiring surgery and treatment (claim paid - $108,829) 
• A 82-year-old traveller to Greece was supported through injury and related illness, including having registered nurses to accompany them home to Australia (claim paid - $132,840) 
• A traveller in their late 30s to Thailand fell ill requiring surgery and cover for interruption to their journey. SCTI also supported the customer's family to enable their support and covered extended pet care due to a delay in returning home(claim paid - $99,224) 

SCTI provides International Comprehensive and International Medical Only travel insurance policies for those travelling overseas. A Working Overseas policy is also available. Visit the website for more information: www.scti.com.au

 ENDS

 About Southern Cross ​​Travel Insurance 

Southern Cross Travel Insurance (SCTI) has over 40 years of experience supporting more than six million travellers worldwide.  
 
SCTI first launched in New Zealand in 1982, before beginning to partner with Australians in 2009. Since then, the insurer has been trusted by over 6 million travellers worldwide+, which includes providing peace of mind to 1.5 million Aussies.  

SCTI is proud to have won multiple awards for providing customers with great value and outstanding customer service, including: 

• International Travel & Health Insurance Journal Award 

Finalist – International Travel & Health Insurer of the Year 2024, 2023 

Winner – International Travel & Health insurer of the Year 2022 

• ProductReview.com.au Award 

Travel Insurance Award Winner – 2017-2020, 2023-2025

• Canstar Star Rating Awards 

Outstanding Value for Travel Insurance – International – 2017, 2022, 2024

Outstanding Value for Travel Insurance – Seniors 2022-2024 

Outstanding Value for Travel Insurance – Domestic 2022-2024

• Finder Travel Insurance Customer Satisfaction Awards 

Highly Commended for Value – 2025, 

Highly Commended for Loved Brand, 

Trusted Brand and Quality Service – 2024

• Finder Awards 

Best Travel Insurance Comprehensive 2023-2025 

Best Travel Insurance Seniors – 2023

Best Travel Insurance Value (Highly Commended) – 2023

• Mozo Experts Choice Awards 

Exceptional Value Medical Only Travel Insurance – 2024

Exceptional Value Annual Multi-Trip Travel Insurance – 2022 & 2024

Exceptional Value Comprehensive Travel Insurance – 2018

Exceptional Value Cruise Travel Insurance – 2018

• Australian Insurance Industry Awards 

Finalists for General Insurance Claims Team of the Year – 2022

• Sitecore Experience Award 

Honourable Mention – Digital Experience Transformation 2021 

• Mumbrella Travel Awards 

Finalists for Travel Marketing Team of the Year – 2022

+Based upon the total number of travellers we have insured across the markets where we operate for all our travel insurance products from January 1995 to June 2024. 

If you have any further queries, please contact: 
Yvette Schlegelmilch – 0423 954 224 

yvette@sedgwickcommunications.com

OR   

Laura Sedgwick - 0451 041 705 

laura@sedgwickcommunications.com