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From Europe to Russia to get vaccinated

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From Europe to Russia to get vaccinated

21.04.2021

Editor's office of the Russkiy Mir Portal

Photo credit: mos.ru (CC BY 4.0)

A sign of the new era is vaccine tourism to Russia. 

Foreigners are officially allowed to be vaccinated against coronavirus in the country. And it is quite easy to do this, whereas in most European countries those wishing to get vaccinated will have to stay for a long time on the waitlist. There were plenty of people willing to buy such an unusual tour. The Germans were the first to come to Moscow for the life-saving vaccine.

A few days ago, the first 50 tourists from Germany arrived in Moscow to be vaccinated with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. The package tour from Frankfurt cost them 1,000 euros, according to Euronews. This price includes three nights in a Moscow hotel, a visit to a private clinic for the vaccine (the first component) and tours in the Russian capital. According to the tour organizer, a lot of Germans want to come to Russia to get a jab, and at the same time enjoy  cultural tours in the capital, free from coronavirus restrictions.

The interest of German tourists is quite understandable: in Germany, the vaccine is only available for people over 70 years old. The rest will have to wait for 5 to 10 months. Many people are tired of coronavirus restrictions and would like to go on vacation to the sea. But it's easier to do this if there is a vaccine for COVID-19. And so far only the only country in the world - Russia - provides foreign citizens with such an opportunity: to get vaccinated quickly and without any waiting in a private clinic.

Such vaccine tourism has attracted interest not only in Germany. Tour operators in Turkey have already announced their desire to send tourists to Russia for the vaccination. Moreover, such a trip will be even cheaper for Turkish tourists: for 1099 euros they will receive both components of the vaccine at once, as well as accommodation in a 4-star hotel and excursions around Moscow. The largest tour operator in Norway announced a similar program. Their package is called My Vaccine Vacation. There are two options: to spend all 3 weeks in Moscow or to make in-the--middle vacation in Turkey or the UAE.

It was also reported that Italian travel agencies from Bergamo, Brescia and Cremona (the regions most affected by the coronavirus in this country), are considering sending applicants for vaccination to Russia. According to their representatives, there are also a lot of people willing to buy a vaccine tour.

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