An ad about vaccine tours notes that only one-way tickets are provided. The HCM City Tourism Department has warned the public against such tours due to possible hidden costs and a risk of no return flights. (Photo: VNA) HCMCity (VNS/VNA) - The HCM City Tourism Department has ordered travelfirms to suspend “vaccine tours” to the US due to possible hidden costs and therisk of no return flights.
Travel operators have been selling “vaccine tours” which provide only one-waytickets. There is no information about the return ticket on the ads, and otherfeatures remain unclear, according to the department.
Speaking at a recent meeting with tour operators, Nguyen Quy Phuong, directorof the Tourism Department under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism,said people must be careful before booking the tours.
“The vaccine tours are costly and only offer one-way tickets, and informationregarding vaccinations is vague and there is no guarantee that the customer’sneeds will be met.”
“Organising such a vaccine tour is not feasible in the current situation,’’ hesaid.
Despite the fourth wave of the pandemic, Vietnam is considered safer than manyother countries thanks to its ‘consistent and comprehensive’ strategies,according to Phuong.
Since March last year, the country has closed its borders to everyone exceptrepatriated citizens, foreign investors and certain businesspeople. Vietnamesecitizens overseas who have registered with embassies have to wait for longperiods to enter Vietnam.
Rachael Chen, spokesperson for the US Embassy, said that foreign nationals whowant to temporarily visit the US must show their purpose of travel and mustmeet all requirements and be approved for the visa for which theyapplied.
Eligibility for vaccination remains the jurisdiction of health services inindividual US states and the US government, she said.
A resident of Thu Duc city, who wished to be unnamed, said her family ofthree had US visas and wanted to travel to the US to visit relatives andreceive vaccinations. But she is concerned about whether there will be a returnflight.
“If there is no return flight, we will be stranded there,” she said.
Nguyen Huu Y Yen, general director of Saigontourist, said: “Most travel firmsfind it hard to ensure the time when the tourists return home. If the guestsare stranded abroad, the travel companies will be held responsible.”
Jyoti Mayal, president of the Travel Agents Association of India, said: “It’snot illegal to go to the US. Travelling is absolutely your option. As anassociation, our advice is check out the credibility of the agent, check outall the documents, and then move forward.”
Suthiphong Pheunphiphop, president of the Thai Travel Association, also notedthat tour operators would not be responsible if the tourists experience sideeffects after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Tourists face a lot of risks. So they need to carefully consider costs andrisks,” he said.
Recently, ads for vaccine tours to the US have flooded social media inVietnam.
According to the ads, one tour costs 45 million VND (1,950 USD) for aneight-day trip, including one-way air ticket from HCM City to US cities likeNew York or Los Angeles, three-star hotel, and a single dose of Johnson &Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, local media have reported.
The jabs developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna require a two-dose regimenwith a 21-day interval, while Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine needs only onedose.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is about 66 percent effective at preventingsymptomatic Covid-19, according to data released by the producer.
Experts said the total cost for the vaccine tour, including entry fees,quarantine, testing, and air tickets for the return could be up to 170 million VND(7,000 USD) per person.
Tran Van Long, director of the Vietnam Tourism Company, said the company wantedto launch ads about “vaccine tours” to learn more about the market before itasked for approval from tourism agencies to organise commercial flights for thetours.
“After the consultation with the Department of Tourism, the company agreed towait for more time to ensure the interests of customers.”
Vu The Binh, vice chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said the sale ofvaccine tours to the US was not prohibited but warned that tourists returningto Vietnam will have to comply with pandemic measures under the guidance fromthe Ministry of Health, including the current 21-day concentrated quarantineand COVID testing.
In early May, Vietnam extended its quarantine policy from 14 to 21 days for allarrivals as the country was struggling with the fourth wave, including caseswith a highly infectious variant from India.
The US has policies on COVID-19 vaccination for international visitors as partof its effort to bring back tourists.
All air passengers two-years-old and above can enter the US, including UScitizens and legal permanent residents as long as they present certaindocuments. They must present a negative COVID-19 test taken within three daysof departure, or proof of recovery from the virus within the last 90 days.
Elsewhere in the world, travel companies in Thailand are also selling vaccinetours to the US.
The US has one of the higher rates of vaccination in the world with at least 47per cent of adults being fully inoculated as of this month, according to the USCenter for Disease Control and Prevention.
Meanwhile, developing and low-income countries are struggling to secure enoughvaccine doses due to a lack of supply./.
VNA
