Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

‘Shot Trips’ To Dubai, Florida, Tel Aviv, Havana: Covid-19 Vaccine Tourism Takes Off

‘Shot Trips’ To Dubai, Florida, Tel Aviv, Havana: Covid-19 Vaccine Tourism Takes Off

It started in December 2020 with reports that Indian tour operators were eying up trips to London or New York to transport guests to parts of the world where they could get a Covid-19 vaccination.
For the equivalent of $1,777 per person, travelers would stay in isolation for as long as would be required, then visit a health center for the Pfizer BioNTech vaccination, the cost of which would be included in the package itself. Guests would have a small tour of the city before returning home to India.

Tour operators were also looking at heading to Russia for the Sputnik vaccine.

Then came reports of a wealthy Canadian couple disguising themselves as hospital workers to receive a Covid-19 vaccination after chartering a private jet to head to Beaver Creek, population 100, mostly indigenous White River First Nation members. The New York Times reported then on wealthy stock brokers and executives calling doctors, asking if they could pay $20,000 to get to the top of the queue for Covid-19 jabs.

Around the same time, Florida’s governor signed an order to prioritise vaccinations for over 65s, without a requirement to actually live in the state; as a consequence, many wealthy Americans, including Time Warner chief, Richard Parsons, flew into Florida from other states to jump to the top of the queue. NBC 6 South Florida reported that the state received vaccine tourists from Brazil and Argentina too.

One Florida-based travel agency is now running trips to Israel (for Israeli nationals, the only people currently allowed in) for the under 65s. Roy Gal, the owner of Memories Forever Travel Group told Fox 35 News that people in their 30s and 40s are entering the mandatory 10-day quarantine upon arrival in Israel, then hitting the vaccination centres at the end of the day. Gal said the tourists "wait until the last hour and they have lots of vaccines that they haven't provided to people and they don't want it to go to waste, so they literally go outside and yell, you know, 'Vaccines if anyone wants it!' and they just go in and get vaccinated.” Gal’s clients are paying $850 for round trip tickets then about $2,000 a month to rent a house for about two months from quarantine to the second shot before they take the return flight home.

At the beginning of February, The Guardian reported on how the Knightsbridge Circle, a “travel and lifestyle service” that charges members a £25,000 yearly fee, was advertising Covid-19 vaccine trips to the Emirates for any members over the age of 65. The alleged deal offers members the Chinese Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine and the founder Stuart McNeill told The New York Times that the club had received 2,000 applications for membership since the deal was advertised.

Cuba and UAE launched vaccine tourism campaigns

Dubai has recently launched an appeal for digital nomads to come work in Dubai for a year “to live and work near the sea” with the added bonus that all residents of the UAE receive a Covid-19 vaccination.

Les Echos reported that Cuba has also taken the light-hearted route for its advertising campaign, offering up “the beach, the Caribbean sea, mojitos and a vaccine” to people willing to go to Cuba; the country hopes to produce 100 million doses of Soberana 2 to vaccinate people in the first half of the year.

Medical tourism still prevalent

Meanwhile, however, The New York Times reported that many Americans are still seeking to travel overseas for medical tourism, despite the pandemic, to undergo treatment for sickness or illnesses that they cannot afford to treat in the U.S.

Global medical tourism guide Patients Beyond Borders reported that Mexico and Costa Rica are the most popular destinations for dental care, cosmetic surgery and prescription medicines while Thailand, India and South Korea take the lead for more complicated procedures such as orthopedics, cardiovascular, cancer and fertility treatment.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
×