Sunshine insurance sends holidaymakers searching for rain

This year Holidaymakers are flooding into the rainiest parts of France to take advantage of a bizarre type of insurance offered by holiday groups Pierre et Vacances and FranceLoc. Holidaymakers who take out the insurance can claim up to 400 Euro ($556) if they find that four or more days of any one week of their holiday turn out to be a washout, with less than 2 hours of sun per day.

Due to the economic downturn, this has had an unexpected outcome for the two French Holiday groups. Bookings in the wettest parts of France such as Nice are outstripping the normally more popular and drier parts such as the Cote d’Azur. Obviously canny holiday makers are trying to find a bargain.

In a statement, Pierre & Vacances said:

“Aon France allows Pierre & Vacances to propose its clients with automatic reimbursement for part of their stay…if weather conditions don’t meet expectations.”

Disappointed vacationers will not have to apply for compensation; instead, the insurer will use satellite images provided by the Metnext, a subsidiary of French weather bureau, Météo France, to keep track of rainy days. If anyone holding a policy experiences less than their allotted quota of sunshine, they will automatically receive a text or email to let them know they are entitled to compensation.

The insurance only covers holidays taken up to the 17th October and is the brainchild of Hervé Kayser, Marketing Manager at Aon France.

If you would like gamble on your summer sun then Nice has the highest average rainfall for October.

Would you pay extra for a money back guarantee on your summer break? Have your say.