Well, if tourists won’t go to the vaccine, the vaccine will come to them.
At least in Alaska.
In an effort to boost visitors and help struggling businesses, the state of Alaska has rolled out a tourism aid package that includes a unique incentive – COVID-19 vaccines.
The state, devastated by the coronavirus pandemic but especially hurt by the continued delay from the Centers for Disease Control on approving cruises, said it will happily vaccinate tourists arriving at one of its four major airports in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau and Ketchikan.
The vaccines will be administered outside of airport security areas beginning June 1.
The aid package by Gov. Mike Dunleavy also includes a multi-million dollar national marketing plan, direct support to businesses and support of cultural tourism.
“The Governor continues to be a strong advocate for the visitor industry through this pandemic,” said Alaska Travel Industry Association President and CEO Sarah Leonard. “It is impressive to see how far he has gone to reach out and assist the tourism businesses across the state. We applaud all of his efforts.”
In 2019, more than 52,000 Alaskans depended on tourism for their income, and one in 10 jobs was attributed to Alaska tourism. The industry was responsible for injecting $4.5 billion in economic activity in the state.
Dunleavy’s Alaska Tourism Revitalization plan proposes allocating $150 million of federal American Recovery Plan Act funds to provide relief to communities and tourism, hospitality and ancillary businesses throughout Alaska.
“The Governor’s plan to offer vaccinations to all visitors is also a huge advantage for our industry,” Leonard said.