Vaccine vacations: Countries cashing in on the quest for COVID jabs

People’s search for quick fixes for their unmet health needs has a long history.

It should be of little surprise, then, to learn that a growing number of people are crossing borders to receive COVID-19 vaccinations unavailable to them in their home countries or states because they’re not in a priority group – a healthcare worker or an older person – or because of delays to vaccine rollout where they live.

COVID-19 vaccine tourism shares many features of other kinds of health or medical tourism – namely, a scarce resource with a high demand.

This so-called COVID-19 vaccine tourism has quickly evolved into a thriving global industry.

With countries eager to attract tourists, and many individuals keen to travel following national lockdowns – which may only be possible with a vaccine passport – it didn’t take long before companies began to offer packaged tours that include a jab.

Vaccine tourism first caught public attention in December 2020, when it was reported that Indian tour operators were considering trips to New York and London to transport guests to countries where they could secure a COVID-19 vaccination.

According to one report, the package, at $US1777 per person, would enable travellers to stay in isolation for a requisite period, then visit a health centre for a Pfizer BioNTech vaccination, which would be included in the package. Tour operators also considered offering trips to Russia for the Sputnik vaccine.

Travellers by the numbers

Reliable figures for the number of travellers are hard to come by, but reports suggest a strong demand. In the US, in a number of states, notably Florida, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Arizona and US Virgin Islands, tens of thousands of Americans from other states are believed to have been at least partially vaccinated, some travelling specifically to get their shots.

One business, the London-based Knightsbridge Circle, which markets itself as “an exclusive travel and lifestyle service”, charging members a £25,000 annual fee, is reported to have had 2000 applications for membership since the deal was advertised.

One article claims that the business is able to organise access to China’s Sinopharm vaccine in Dubai for £10,000, but refused to provide further details. The United Arab Emirates is the only country apart from China where Sinopharm has been approved. The vaccine does not appear on the European Medicine’s Agency list of “Authorised COVID-19 vaccines”.

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Read more: The billion-dollar backpackers and their importance to the post-COVID economic recovery

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A New York-based concierge medical service that charges a large annual membership fee for unlimited access to a doctor’s care, has reportedly received calls from rich patients wanting to travel. German travel agencies are also advertising “vaccine vacations” to countries where local populations have already been vaccinated. And Norwegian travel agencies are offering similar deals for travellers in Nordic countries, Germany and Russia – the latter including access to the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine.

An Austrian media mogul, Christian W. Mucha, offers vaccine tourism as a panacea for the purported failure of the EU “to get enough vaccine for all Europeans at the right time”.

Using the slogan “First come. First go. Freedom for you.”, Mucha launched a travel agency, Imprfreisen.at, which offers people the opportunity to travel abroad to be vaccinated, and says it’s not motivated by “profit maximisation” and will offer “vaccination prices completely free of charge...if we are able to clarify all open questions”. The agency’s website claims its partners are “licensed doctors, medical specialists and clinical professionals”.

The political economy of hope

While a new phenomenon, COVID-19 vaccine tourism shares many features of other kinds of health or medical tourism. It is subject to much the same market dynamics – namely, a scarce resource with a high demand, leading people who are desperate to seek to get it.

Vaccination tourism is underpinned by the promise of protection from disease and the freedoms this affords, especially to travel without restrictions.

Although the product sought is a vaccine rather than a treatment or enhancement, the market, like many others, is underpinned by a political economy of hope, supported by diverse actors with different stakes in the market.

However, COVID-19 vaccine tourism has some distinctive features and socio-ethical and political implications that are worth highlighting.

Vaccination tourism is underpinned by the promise of protection from disease and the freedoms this affords, especially to travel without restrictions.

A number of clinical trials show that vaccines provide a high level of immunity against the disease. However, there’s limited data on the duration of vaccine prevention, and its effectiveness in preventing infectiousness and transmission. Until this data exists, travel will present risks, both to the travellers themselves, and to those with whom they come into contact.

While various national proposals for vaccine passports are being developed around the world, numerous technical, ethical, legal and social issues remain unresolved. The implementation of a vaccine passport or certification may lead to discrimination against those who are hesitant or refuse to get vaccinated for whatever reason, and restrict their rights, while reinforcing the existing global vaccination divide.

It’s important to acknowledge historical precedents for vaccination discrimination, seen for example in the Vaccination Act of 1840, which was subsequently repealed following public protests.

Demand for COVID-19 vaccination travel is likely to intensify since the unveiling of the first European “health passport” on 28 March, with health certificates set to become available in coming months in digital and paper versions.

A number of countries, including those that have suffered economically due to lockdowns, are keen to accept vaccinated travellers, including Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Estonia, The Seychelles, Iceland, Romania, Lebanon, Georgia and Poland, with others “rumoured to be considering letting in vaccinated travellers”. Some countries are marketing themselves as desirable destinations because of their infection-free status. This includes the United Arab Emirates and Cuba, who both recently launched vaccine tourism campaigns.

Australia and New Zealand have yet to declare their positions, but are widely seen by overseas travellers as safe and hence desirable destinations.

If the countries do accept travellers with vaccine passports, they’re likely to include those who have crossed borders to receive their vaccinations. This gives rise to some important questions – namely, where did they receive their vaccination, and has it been approved by regulatory agencies, including Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration? Do these travellers pose a risk to the Australian population?