Claims to spike as visitors to Glacier Country revise travel plans

Travel insurers are bracing for an increase in claims as a massive landslide caused by heavy rains blocked a section of a West Coast highway that serves as the only access to major Glacier Country tourist destinations from the north. According to Stuff.co.nz, a section of State Highway 6 north of Whataroa was closed on Friday, forcing many tourists on their way to Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers to revise their plans. Ashley Cassin, the head of the Glacier Country promotions agency, told Stuff that his members, ranging from accommodation to guiding operators, were preparing to cope with the abrupt drop in visitors.