U.S. territory launches vaccine tourism programme

Doctor holding a syringe in front of Guam flag

With tourism destroyed by the pandemic, the remote U.S. territory and tropical island Guam has launched a vaccine tourism programme to refill hotels.

Guam mainly has Asian travellers but in recent months has had American expatriates arriving from countries in the region with slow vaccination rollouts.

Guam is close to the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and mainland USA. The island is targeting the million non-military Americans living in Asia. American citizens do not pay for their vaccinations but other tourists do.

Guam has launched a vaccine tourism programme to encourage citizens of neighbouring countries and Americans living in East Asia to visit and get inoculated against Covid-19. Most will arrive in groups on charter flights.

The Air V&V programme requires participants to pay for their quarantine hotel stay, up to a week, during which they receive a vaccine shot on the second day. Depending on which vaccine they choose, visitors could be on the island for as little as three days, or more than a month. If they test negative at the end of their hotel quarantine, they are allowed to leave their hotel room and enjoy the island like any other traveller.