A new joint survey from the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) and Smartraveller has revealed a significant number of Australians are looking to travel – but ICA warns an “alarming high” number are uninformed on key issues.

ICA notes “mistaken beliefs” held by Australians on the support they would receive from government, with figures from the survey showing 68% of respondents believe a representative would ensure Australians who suffer a medical emergency get treatment.

It also highlighted that half of those surveyed believe the Australian Government would arrange and fund repatriation in medical emergencies.

The survey found that 12% of respondents under 30 were “active rejectors” of travel insurance, compared to just 3% of those over 30, with the most common reason being that they were unsure if it was needed.

“Accidents and emergencies can happen anywhere, meaning travel insurance remains a vital protection,” ICA CEO Andrew Hall said.

“You couldn’t travel overseas without your passport, and you shouldn’t travel overseas without travel insurance, no matter the destination.”

The survey reported that 70% of all respondents and 78% of those under 30 say they plan to travel more often in the future following limited travel options last year and in 2020 due to pandemic-related restrictions.

“Two years of lockdowns with no international travel means many Australians are planning to head overseas in coming months,” Mr Hall said.

The effects of the pandemic have made potential travellers more cautious, with 68% of respondents saying the pandemic has made them less confident to travel overseas and 95% describing policies surrounding covid cancellation as an “important consideration” when it comes to purchasing travel insurance.