Vacant travel agency counters at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul on March 4, 2020 (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 26 (Korea Bizwire) — A South Korean travel agency is rolling out so-called ‘COVID-19 vaccine tours.’
Healing Vacation, a tour agency specializing in the Americas, introduced a travel package last Friday that includes receiving a Pfizer Inc.’s or Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine in the United States.
With this package, travellers can get one or two shots of the vaccine and return to South Korea. They will be exempt from a 14-day quarantine upon return.
The ‘vaccine tour’ for Pfizer vaccines is a 27-day travel package. The one for Janssen vaccines includes 12 days of travel.
The Pfizer vaccine package comes in at 15 million won (US$13,000), while the Janssen one goes for 9 million won.
These packages were met with mixed reactions from the tourism industry, since most seniors in the country have already been vaccinated.
Some even question if there would be anyone at this moment willing to pay exorbitant sums of money to go on a long-term trip when the country is now scheduling vaccine appointments for those in their early 50s.
Others, however, say that there might be demand from wealthier couples who are considering foreign travel for their honeymoon.
“Many couples are concerned about their honeymoon travels,” said a source from a travel agency. “The Janssen tour might appeal to some wealthier couples.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
The population of Internet users on the planet has been increasing day by day. With that, the travel industry is also growing exponentially, and I think this will help the country’s economy.