Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Jul 10, 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

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
×