How much do Russians spend on foreign vaccine tours?
Executive Director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) Maya Lomidze said that the demand for vaccine tours is increasing, according to tour operators, over the past 4 months they bought more than 6 thousand Russians.
In September, tour operators began selling vaccine tours abroad. On average, they process from 20 to 100 applications per week from those wishing to undergo a full course of immunization abroad or receive a booster dose of foreign vaccine. There are no exact statistics, but according to the estimates of travel companies, more than 6 thousand people purchased vaccine tours. Given the average cost of the tour, we can assume that the Russians spent on these trips together about 310 million rubles.”
Which countries offer such services? Serbia, Croatia, Greece, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Germany, Armenia. Russians prefer to be vaccinated abroad with a single vaccine Johnson & Johnson and two-component Pfizer.
“The leader in demand for vaccine tours is Croatia. According to various tour operators, this country accounts for between a third and 99% of bookings. The demand for the direction is associated with the possibility of free vaccination with various drugs (Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca), a variety of air travel options and the possibility of obtaining a visa in Moscow and the regions, says Lomidze.
In second place in the number of bookings of vaccine trips is Serbia, where you can get vaccinated with drugs such as Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Sinopharm. Among the obvious advantages of the country are visa-free entry and inexpensive air transportation.
Bulgaria came in third place, where you can get the drug Pfizer, but a single vaccine Johnson & Johnson is in particular demand. According to tour operators, the demand for vaccination tours to Greece is also growing, because the Greek consulate is loyal in issuing Schengen visas.
At the end of October, the European Commission decided to recognize covid certificates issued in Armenia. There you can get vaccinated with AstraZeneca and Moderna, as well as Chinese CoronaVac and Sinopharm ..., added Lomidze.
Demand for vaccine tours abroad largely depends on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recognition of Satellite V. If the Russian vaccine is not recognized, the demand will increase by 20-40% depending on the direction.
Source: tourism.interfax