While domestic tourism has found a boost from the vacation segment in all countries, the recovery of international travelers for many travel agencies and tour operators began to take off with the vaccine tourism in the United States.
Immediate Benefits for the Tourist and the Destination
Once the United States took the first step for this type of tourism, it was closely followed by Cuba, Dubai, Maldives, Russia and Serbia. An example of the scope of this new tourism proposal is that Visitors who go to New York City, besides visiting iconic sites, will also go to health centers where they are given the Johnson & Johnson brand vaccine, which is a single dose. For this reason they have placed mobile health posts for tourists, the Mayor of this city believes that the easier it is for a visitor to get a vaccine, the more they will enjoy their stay, helping the economy to recover faster.
Apart from the attractive and easy to get vaccinated, the benefits are not long in coming, such as the promotion of the American Museum of Natural History that offers four free tickets to tourists who get vaccinated at its facilities. Also, other restaurants and businesses in New York will give discounts to those who get vaccinated against Covid-19 instead.
In Latin America and Panama is Not a Trend Yet
Latin America, has not yet been able to develop large-scale medical tourism focused on vaccination, due to the logistical and cost complexities in the supply of vaccines depending on the country. However, countries such as Colombia, Mexico and Argentina have doubled the prices of tickets and promoting family packages in travel agencies that include immunization, roundtrip flights, accommodation, car rental and even travel insurance, starting at $1,000.00, depending on the destination. In Panama, the departure of travelers to have access to vaccination also happens, although on a smaller scale compared to neighboring countries. In our country, vaccine tourism is not aligned with the National Vaccination Strategy that seeks to protect the Panamanian population first. Of course, the authorities indicate that once the general population is vaccinated, foreign Visitors may come to our country to get vaccinated and go sightseeing.
