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SINGAPORE, 5 JUNE 2025 — As borders reopen and global travel rebounds, the expectations of travelers have shifted. Today’s tourists don’t just want protection—they demand real-time access to healthcare, regardless of where they are in the world. This new era of travel was the focus of a standout session at Insurtech Connect Asia 2025, titled “Transforming Travel Healthcare: Empowering Global Travelers with Digital Innovation.”
Moderated by Koichiro Azakami, Manager of International Digital Strategy at Tokio Marine Holdings, the session brought together leaders from across the global travel-healthtech-insurtech ecosystem: Tommy Martin of Qoala (Indonesia), Allen Juang of Tokio Marine Asia (Singapore), Eran Tirer of Ledgertech (Israel), and Efrat Sagi-Ofir of Air Doctor (Israel).
Their shared message was clear: Travel insurance is no longer just about reimbursement—it’s about care, convenience, and confidence.
A Mindset Shift from Claims to Confidence
Tommy Martin, Deputy CEO of Qoala, opened with a candid reflection on how most travel insurance still works today: “We’re essentially telling customers, ‘Pay now. Worry later. Maybe you’ll get reimbursed.’ That’s not good enough anymore.”
Qoala, headquartered in Jakarta, has been expanding its digital travel protection offerings by focusing on instant, embedded solutions. But Tommy noted that transformation goes deeper than user interfaces. “It’s not just about smoother claims. It’s about helping travelers feel safe while they’re still abroad—not just after they get home.”
Tommy emphasized the need to move away from pure indemnity models and toward integrated service: “If we want people to trust travel insurance again, we need to stop acting like it’s a backup plan—and start treating it like a travel companion.”
Redefining Risk in a Globalized World
As Chief Risk Officer of Tokio Marine Asia, Allen Juang brought a strategic lens to the conversation. He acknowledged that risk modeling for mobile, global users is no longer just about actuarial tables—it’s about agility.
“Risk is changing shape,” Allen said. “With travelers moving between jurisdictions, facing unfamiliar healthcare systems, we need models that adjust in real-time—not just annually.” He spoke about Tokio Marine’s efforts to integrate regional partnerships, data-sharing protocols, and ecosystem APIs that bridge insurers and care providers.
But Allen also acknowledged the limits of automation. “Human-led underwriting still matters. Especially when you’re dealing with unfamiliar risks in emerging destinations,” he said.
His vision for the future? “Digital innovation should serve one goal—putting certainty back into uncertain journeys.”
Insurtech Must Act Like a Platform, Not a Product
Eran Tirer, CEO of Ledgertech, challenged the industry to think beyond traditional product design. “The problem is, we keep launching ‘smart’ policies that still feel dumb in practice,” he said. “Travelers don’t care if their policy is parametric, indemnity, or hybrid. They care whether it solves their problem in five minutes.”
Ledgertech, an Israeli insurtech platform, is working to make insurance products modular and responsive, adapting to context—such as location, weather, or local risk signals. “Imagine landing in a new country, and your coverage adjusts based on real-time health data and activity,” said Eran.
He believes the next wave of transformation isn’t just digital—it’s behavioral: “We must move from policy-centric to user-centric thinking. Travel protection should be anticipatory, not reactive.”
From Provider Networks to On-Demand Medical Access
Efrat Sagi-Ofir, Co-founder and CRO of Air Doctor, shared how the platform is bridging a crucial gap: getting travelers in-person medical care without delays or bureaucracy.
“People don’t want to be told to call a claims center when they’re sick abroad. They want to see a doctor now,” she said. Air Doctor now offers access to thousands of verified physicians across 75+ countries, all bookable through a mobile app—without upfront payment or paperwork.
Efrat noted that this solves not just customer pain points but also insurer inefficiencies: “By controlling access and quality of care, we lower costs and improve outcomes. Everybody wins.”
Her vision is bold: a world where insurance enables care, rather than delays it. “It’s time we stopped thinking of travel health as transactional and started building it as a service.”
A Quiet but Radical Future
Moderator Koichiro Azakami closed the session by urging insurers to reframe the digital opportunity. “We’ve spent years focusing on APIs, platforms, and automation. That’s important. But what really matters now is how we use those tools to build resilience and trust across borders,” he said.
Azakami stressed that digital must be guided by intentional design, not just scale: “We need to ask—does our technology make the traveler feel safer, seen, and supported? If not, it’s time to rethink.”
As global travel becomes more accessible, the stakes for digital travel healthcare grow higher. This session didn’t offer easy answers—but it delivered a clear directive: make protection human again.
Whether through dynamic pricing, real-time doctor access, or behavioral underwriting, the industry is finally turning the page from insurance as recovery to insurance as assurance. The transformation is far from complete—but the road ahead is now unmistakably clearer.
