Jasmine Harman host of A Place In The Sun: Home or Away
The new face for Overseas Assist
28 July 2009
With nine out of ten homeowners abroad unaware who to contact in
an emergency, one of the UK's largest holiday home insurers,
Towergate Connect, has launched a helpline fronted by travel
celebrity Jasmine Harman, to take the stress out of crises
abroad.
The new service, 'Overseas Assist', includes a Pass the Phone
interpretation service and a 24-hour Domestic Emergency Helpline,
enabling thousands of Brits to overcome the difficulties that
language barriers and foreign procedures can cause in the event of
an emergency, as well as everyday living.
Towergate has selected one of the UK's most high-profile travel
celebrities, Jasmine Harman, who is best known for her work on
Channel 4's 'A Place in the Sun - Home or Away', to front the
campaign. Jasmine, who lived in Portugal for three years presenting
on Kiss FM Algarve and writing for many major travel publications,
has now filmed all across the globe, from Bavaria to Barbados,
Sydney to Slovenia and has a vast knowledge of the travel
industry.
She said: "I cannot even begin to stress how important it is to
be fully insured by a reputable provider when owning a home
abroad.
"We often take it for granted that we know how to do day-to-day
tasks in the UK but adjusting to life in a foreign country is an
entirely new adventure and one that brings challenges, especially
when dealing with a language barrier.
"Overseas Assist is an invaluable tool that will help you manage
your life abroad. As a translation service, it goes beyond all
regular insurance policies, providing clients with help in all
aspects of living overseas, from calling the emergency services in
a crisis to simply booking a table in a restaurant.
"Holiday homes are there to bring fun and relaxation – make sure
you have all the necessary insurances in place to allow you to sit
back and enjoy yourself."
The service, which can be used by any tenant or guest using the
holiday home, offers assistance following an emergency or crime,
help with lost passports or credit cards, a booking service for
medical appointments, restaurants or leisure activities, help
locating tradesmen or professional services and over-the-phone call
credit top-up.
In addition, the 24-hour Domestic Helpline, acts as a first
point of contact following domestic emergencies, such as burglary
or burst water pipes.
Lewis Hopkins, Managing Director of Towergate Connect, said:
"Many people find themselves in situations abroad where they are
unable to communicate effectively with authorities and businesses
or to deal with an emergency.
"With Overseas Assist you can take comfort that, even in the
most stressful of situations, you can contact an English-speaking
assistant who has local knowledge, and can act as a translator to
ensure you get the help you need. This is an excellent
peace-of-mind service that we are proud to offer our clients."
Towergate Connect – which is part of the largest independent
insurance intermediary in Europe – has been a specialist provider
of holiday home insurance both in the UK and abroad, as well as
holiday chalet insurance and static caravan insurance for over 25
years.