Assessing the trends and practices of online marketing communication in travel insurance business: A study based in Chennai

Pages: 1146-1149
Mary Jeniffer. S, Anu Chandran, and Dheleepan G.V. (Department of Tourism Studies, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu)

The Travel Insurance sector has become a dire need in the 21st century. This sector mooted as a fast developing ancillary travel service is cruising remarkably imbibing innovative ideas and integrating them into the pragmatic schemes and offerings which are gaining grounds across the globe. Albeit, the sector also faces enormous challenges arising from intense competition, rising regulatory compliances and growing payouts due to fraud and natural disasters while traveling, especially overseas. Consequently, the applications of novel technological features in the area of travel insurance have become the need of the hour in the context of globalized business environment. This study is based on the travel insurance companies in Chennai providing services online. The present work also examines the impacts of travel insurance on the demands of the clientele; whether it caters to the need of both urban and rural segments. Travel insurance majors have embraced online marketing communication as the ideal modus operandi to have effective reach with potential customers as regards dissemination of product offers and benefits. The customer centric perspectives linked to the marketing communication strategies as envisaged and practiced by the travel insurance firms in Chennai are assessed in this paper. The study also deals with the nature and extent of growth of travel insurance business post subscribing to the online marketing communication techniques. The mechanisms devised by the travel insurance companies in Chennai to ensure customer fulfillment are also being deliberated. The present paper carried out as a qualitative study with interviews from experts in the travel insurance sector assesses the operational outcomes and the services with respect to the online marketing communication. The scope of the study encompasses factors such as minimization of time, cost-effectiveness, easy accessibility, security aspects, etc. This article propounds an online communication model for travel insurance services. An explorative approach has been employed for unveiling the challenges and intricacies pertaining to online marketing communication in travel insurance business.