For those who have failed to win their Co-win battles, travel agents are now offering a two-in-one vaccination and vacation trip to Russia.
These agents say that Russian authorities have made it possible for tourists to visit their country and take the Russian-made Sputnik-V vaccine.
The report comes a week after Reuters reporting that the tiny Republic of San Marino had launched vaccine tourism with Sputnik V as the vaccine on offer.
A Delhi-based travel agency's tour package has in fact gone viral on WhatsApp. Priced at Rs 2.2-2.4 lakh per person for a 24-day stay at 3-star hotels in Moscow (20 days) and St Petersburg (4 days), it includes sightseeing and guided tours.
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Those who book the tour will be taken to Moscow for two shots of the vaccine, according to a report in the Times of India (TOI).
Indians can travel to Russia after getting an RT-PCR test done. The travel agents claim the first shot will be administered on the day of arrival in Moscow.
The first batch, a group of 30 people left on May 15 and have received their shot already, they say. According to the TOI report, the second batch, mostly Delhi-based doctors, will be leaving on May 29.
“The group spends three days in St Petersburg and the remaining days in Moscow. The package includes the cost of air tickets on Aeroflot flights from Delhi, breakfast, dinner and a few days of local sightseeing. The visa fee of Rs 10,000 is excluded," the paper quoted an official from the travel agency as saying.
At present, Russia is one of the very few countries that allow Indians to enter its country.
The official Sputnik V twitter handle had earlier indicated in a tweet that they will be throwing open vaccinations for travellers, with followers of the handle being given top priority. The only catch, the tweet was put out on April 1.