Can’t get a vaccine in Asia? Tourism firms are running ‘vac-cations’ to the US or Russia – but the costs are high

Travel agent associations in India and Thailand – which are battling surges in Covid-19 infections of varying degrees – as well as the tourism department of Vietnam have warned the public against operators advertising overseas tours to get vaccinated, saying there can be hidden costs.

Advertisements for vaccine tours, mainly to the United States, have popped up on social media in India, despite restrictions that make international travel almost impossible. In Thailand and Vietnam, too, there are an increasing number of tour packages offering the chance to join a vaccination queue abroad.

“It’s not illegal to go to the US, travelling is absolutely your option,” said Jyoti Mayal, president of the Travel Agents Association of India. “As an association, our advice is check out the credibility of the agent, check out all the documents and then move forward.”

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Mumbai-based Gem Tours & Travels took the names of 5,000 people interested in a three-day stay in New York for a first vaccination and another trip several weeks later for a second shot, with each journey costing about 150,000 rupees (US$2,000).

Another operator, Dubai-based Arabian Nights Tours, is advertising “a trip to vaccination and happiness” in Russia. Starting from US$1,780, the tour includes return air tickets from New Delhi to Moscow, 24 nights accommodation in St Petersburg and the capital, and two doses of the Sputnik vaccine.

In Thailand, too, there have been advertisements for vaccine tours to the US and Russia. One Bangkok operator is offering trips ranging from US$2,400 to US$6,400 to San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles, with prices dependent on the time gap between doses and the brand of vaccine. Johnson & Johnson’s is just one jab, and so would therefore require a shorter stay. Another agency owner was reported as saying he had received hundreds of inquiries, but 80 per cent of people did not have a US visa.

Many of the Thai packages do not include visa expenses, air fares, meals or the cost of quarantine at either end, if applicable. Tour operators also are not responsible if travellers get sick from side effects from the vaccine, according to Suthiphong Pheunphiphop, president of the Thai Travel Agents Association.

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“The government isn’t stopping any tour operators from selling such packages, however a lot of the burden and risks fall onto the traveller rather than the tour operator, so customers should weigh up if the trip is worth the risk,” Suthiphong said.

Some tourism companies in Vietnam – which has the lowest inoculation rate in Southeast Asia, at around 1 per cent, due to a lack of vaccine supplies – are also offering vaccine tours to the US.

Ho Chi Minh City-based Hong Ngoc Ha Travel Company last week on its Facebook page advertised an eight-day “vac-cation” tour from around 45 million dong (US$1,947), with access to the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

Le Van Tri, a manager of sales and marketing at the company, said those who wanted access to Pfizer and Moderna would go on a longer stay that cost more. He said there were more people interested in his company’s vaccine tours every day, without giving a specific number of potential clients.

Claiming to be the first company in the country to launch such a tour, its package includes a one-way ticket to the US, accommodation at three-star level and higher, Covid-19 testing fees prior to arrival, visa fees, 31-day travel insurance and a tour guide who will help clients register for vaccinations in the US.

Tugo, another tourism firm headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City, is offering a 24-day tour to Los Angeles with access to the same vaccines. The 250 million dong package includes return tickets, vaccine service fees, accommodation and meals in the US as well as quarantine fees in Vietnam, among other benefits.

Nguyen Quy Phuong, director of the country’s tourism department, advised people to be careful before booking outbound vaccine tours due to the high risks.

In an interview with state media published on Sunday, he said while the vaccine tours had attracted a lot of attention from the public, they were expensive and many only offered one-way tickets, while information regarding vaccinations was vague and “there is no guarantee that the customer’s needs will be met”.

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“I think, in the current situation, organising an outbound tour is not feasible,’’ Nguyen said, adding that despite the current outbreak, Vietnam was currently much safer than other countries thanks to its pandemic control strategies.

Demand for vaccine tours is being driven in part by unequal access to what are seen as the most effective vaccines, which have been secured by wealthier nations. This has squeezed out much of the developing world and prompted people in those places to look elsewhere, if they have the money. India, Thailand and Vietnam are seeing virulent new waves of the virus, and are lagging behind places like the US on shots, with 7 per cent or less of their populations covered.

But there’s also the question of whether some vaccine tours are even practical, given the high costs, border closures and reduced flight schedules. India, for example, has suspended scheduled international commercial passenger flights until May 31, while the US earlier this month banned most travel from India, although the travel restriction doesn’t apply to American citizens or permanent residents.

Entering Vietnam is also complicated. Since March last year, the country has closed its borders to everyone except repatriated citizens, foreign investors and businesspeople. Those who want to come in have to rely on visa service companies and pay exorbitant fees, while Vietnamese citizens overseas who have registered with embassies face long waiting times.

The country also recently increased the quarantine period for arrivals to three weeks after several people tested positive for Covid-19 after completing 14 days in isolation.

“Several things can go wrong,” said Mayal of the Travel Agents Association of India. “Maybe you’re supposed to stay for a month, but if you have to stay longer then who will bear that cost? And let’s say you don’t even get the vaccine, your money has gone down the drain and you didn’t need a holiday.”

Some people are going it alone, opting to fly themselves to places that offer their choice of vaccine.

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One Thai social media influencer, who goes by the pseudonym Sasdha and who declined to provide his real name citing privacy concerns over some of his government-related posts, did just that.

He’s currently in New York with his mother, awaiting his second shot. Their trip cost around 500,000 baht (US$16,000), including business-class airfares, accommodation in the US and 14 nights state-mandated quarantine when they get back to Bangkok.

“The experience was very easy and there were no queues at the vaccination centres. We had our passports, and my mom and I took a total of five minutes to get our vaccines [at a local CVS chemist],” he said.

Sasdha, who like his mother already had a 10-year tourist visa for the US, said he embarked on the journey because he wasn’t confident in the Thai government’s ability to contain the latest outbreak and to get the vaccine he wanted.

“We all know that Pfizer and Moderna are the best choices and everyone wants these brands,” he said. Thailand is currently only offering jabs from AstraZeneca Plc and China’s Sinovac Biotech. “We can’t even choose between the two so it’s like Thais are being vaccinated with their hands tied against their will.”