With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the travel industry has taken a major hit. And with vaccination being the need of the hour, some countries are offering coronavirus vaccines to tourists to boost tourism. Here’s a list of them. By Anushka Goel
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many industries have taken a huge hit. The tourism industry is one of them, especially with international borders being closed for the longest time. Now, as coronavirus vaccine doses have made their way into countries, nations such as the USA and the UK have taken strides to vaccinate their entire population while some others continue to struggle. As a means to boost tourism and efficiently use excess coronavirus vaccines, some countries are taking to vaccine tourism where people can come to their country to get their shot. Here’s a look at them:
Maldives
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Maldives is one of the nations that has opened its doors to the ‘Visit, Vaccinate, Vacation’ trend. Once the native population is vaccinated against the coronavirus, the country will start vaccine tourism, in turn allowing tourists to get the jab at the beach. Tourism Minister Abdulla Mausoom told CNBC in April that the “3V” strategy, which encourages tourists to “visit, vaccinate, and vacation,” will provide a “more convenient” way to visit the country.
Alaska and New York, USA
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Some states in the United States are offering vaccine tourism, too. Places such as Alaska started offering COVID-19 vaccines to tourists in June this year, reports NPR; while New York has dropped its residency requirement for the jab. In a press conference in May, Mayor Bill de Blasio also announced a proposal to offer visitors coronavirus vaccines at popular tourist sites such as Central Park and Times Square.
Bali, Indonesia
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Russia
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Russia will be offering vaccines to tourists as part of its vaccine tourism drive. This, however, comes at a cost. “I am asking the government to study this issue in full by the end of the month, to establish conditions for foreign citizens to get vaccinated in our country for a fee,” said President Vladimir Putin in June, without providing additional details on the same. The program is expected to last for three weeks, costing between USD 1,500 (INR 1,12,323) and USD 2,500 (INR 1,87,205).
Abu Dhabi, UAE
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Authorities in Abu Dhabi said in a brief statement last month that free COVID-19 vaccines were approved for everyone with an ‘entry visa‘. Visitors can register for the US-German Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine or the Chinese-made Sinopharm.
Related: France Becomes 16th EU Nation To Recognise India-Made COVID-19 Vaccine, Covishield; Full List Here
