London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

‘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.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×