Indonesia’s tourism minister says plans rolling for drive-thru vaccination program in Bali

An empty space owned by Waterbom Bali could become the site of a pass-through vaccination program for travelers, an official said as the government ponders developing vaccine-based tourism in the country.

Yesterday the Minister for Tourism and Creative Industries, Sandiaga Uno, raised the proposed program during his visit to the Waterbom website as part of his now weekly “office hours” in Bali. The site is 1 hectare in the Waterbom Bali complex in the Badung reign.

Also read ⁠— Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno invites people to work from Bali.

“This is an incredible initiative and a form of real innovation. The vaccine drive-through concept was tested in Disneyland, California and Florida, “said Sandiaga, as quoted in a Press release.

Disneyland, California, has used part of its parking lot to distribute vaccines on site since last month, but Disney World in Florida has yet to follow. These kind of efforts are examples of how the travel industry is trying to help end the pandemic, though it should be noted that the vaccinations held in Disneyland, California are not just for tourists.

Sandiaga said that the transit program, if implemented, will be for travelers visiting Bali, describing the program as vaccine-based tourism.

“It started from an idea, but if we apply this idea to all tourist destinations, the idea will turn into hope. Hopefully this initiative and collaboration could create a snowball effect … And we hope that this will be realized in all tourist destinations in Indonesia, ”said Sandiaga.

The minister also put forward plans to designate some areas in Bali as green or COVID-19 free zones and stated that priority will be given to vaccines for popular areas such as Nusa Dua, Ubud, Kuta and Nusa Penida.

Hopeful as Sandiaga may be, it must be noted that Indonesia’s fully subsidized mass vaccination program does not currently address vaccine procurement for non-Indonesian citizens.

Indonesia started its second phase a nationwide mass vaccination program earlier this month that targets more than 17.8 million people, most of whom are educators and marketers.

If you want to share your opinion online for free, there are some exciting prizes up for grabs. Take our 2021 Coconuts Reader Survey now!