Tourism industry expects increased demand for vaccine tours
Tour operators are confident that the opportunity to get vaccinated abroad with foreign vaccines and obtain a COVID certificate in Russia for six months after an antibody test will increase the demand for vaccine tours abroad among frequent travelers.
Lyubov Chuchmayeva, tour operator Pax, said that the demand for vaccine tours abroad is constantly growing.
This format was mainly in demand among tourists who freely plan to travel around the world, not only to countries where Sputnik V is recognized. The possibility of vaccinated Russians abroad to obtain a Russian COVID certificate after arriving in Russia and passing an antibody test “legalizes” all citizens vaccinated not by Sputnik in the Russian Federation.
Vaccine tours to Croatia are now popular, and a specially designated point for foreign tourists has been operating at the vaccination center in Zagreb since December 8. Tours to Serbia, Slovenia, Greece, Armenia are in demand.
On December 13, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said that Russian citizens who were vaccinated abroad with foreign vaccines or Sputnik V will be able to receive a Russian COVID certificate for a period of six months after passing an antibody test on arrival in Russia.
According to Golikova, Russia continues negotiations with the EU on the mutual recognition of certificates, and if they are successful, foreign certificates will be used in Russia together with Russian ones.
Tour operators offer tours with the opportunity to make vaccinations recognized by WHO vaccines from September. In November, the executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) Maya Lomidze reported that the demand for vaccine tours abroad for 1.5 months has almost doubled and by the end of the year will reach tens of thousands of people.
Source: tourism.interfax