Visit, Vaccinate, Vacation: Maldives and Alaska Luring Tourists With Free COVID19 Inoculations

April 18, 2021 ctn_admin

Two rather disparate destinations are making tourists an offer they can’t refuse.

Both Alaska and the Maldives, a luxury island destination in the Indian Ocean, are offering free COVID-19 jabs to visitors.

Both places, especially the Maldives, rely on tourism for a good portion of their income, and they’re each looking for ways to capitalize on the public’s desire to get inoculated against the coronavirus.

According to CNN, Dr. Abdulla Mausoom, the country’s minister for tourism, has confirmed that the Maldives is developing a “3V tourism” scheme, which would allow tourists to “Visit, Vaccinate and Vacation.”

Mausoom said the Maldives plans to offer two doses of the vaccine to visitors, which means those who sign up for it would need to remain in the Maldives for several weeks.

It’s unclear if people can get just one shot and then leave after a week or a few days.

Mausoom said he hopes the program will help boost tourism in the luxury destination, which had an average of 1.7 million visitors a year before the pandemic.

Before you pack your bags, be aware that officials say the program won’t start until islanders are fully vaccinated. A little more than one-half of residents have received their shots so far, CNN reported.

On the other half of the world, in a place where you won’t find overwater bungalows, Alaska is talking about the same thing.

Governor Mike Dunleavy last Friday that COVID-19 vaccines would be made available at major airports in the state beginning June 1.

Associated Press reports that Dunleavy also outlined plans for a national marketing campaign aimed at luring tourists using federal aid money and said the vaccine offering is “probably another good reason to come to the state of Alaska in the summer.”

Heidi Hedberg, the state health department’s Division of Public Health director, said there is an ample supply of vaccine. She said the airport program will offer the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

Other countries have offered subsidies to visitors, including Malta, which says it will provide rebates to people who stay in Malta hotels.

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