A campaign to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates in and around Nashville has received a boost after American Airlines donated a pair of return tickets from Nashville to anywhere on American’s network.
The tickets form part of Nashville’s “Refer To Win” campaign that offers prizes to encourage Nashville locals to refer their family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Some 58% of Nashvillians are fully vaccinated, slightly lagging the broader US figure of 58% but well ahead of the Tennessee-wide figure of 48%.
“We’re grateful to American Airlines and all our community partners for encouraging vaccinations,” Nashville Mayor John Cooper told local news outlet News Channel 5. “I hope everyone will participate by encouraging their family, friends, and coworkers to get their free vaccination.”
The winner has 300 destinations to choose from
A pair of free American Airlines isn’t ordinarily much to get excited about. But these tickets potentially pack some punch because they aren’t limited to the airline’s domestic network. On offer are a choice of around 300 destinations across 60 countries.
American Airlines flies to 10 destinations across mainland US from Nashville, but destinations open up in five continents if you are prepared to connect.
“American Airlines is proud to play a role in this effort by Mayor Cooper to boost vaccination rates in Nashville,” said Nate Gatten, senior vice president of global government affairs for American Airlines.
“Our team welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the great work happening at the local and federal level to defeat the pandemic.”
Nashville has a well-organized vaccine referral process that involves locals using official referral cards and recording the details of the person who encouraged them to get vaccinated.
American Airlines will hand the free tickets to the person who encourages the most people to get vaccinated. It’s a relatively short-lived campaign, with entries closing on November 22.
Public health & economic motives for Nashville
Tennessee has an interesting track record of engaging with airlines to achieve certain outcomes. Earlier this year, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee ponied up $2.5 million to promote tourism to the state using $250 digital gift cards available for travel on various airlines, including American Airlines.
The state gave away 10,000 of the gift cards on the proviso users stayed for at least two nights in certain Tennessee cities, including Nashville. The campaign’s purpose was to reboot tourism to Tennessee, which is worth US$23 billion annually, and also tips US$1.92 billion into state and local city coffers.
While leisure travel has rebounded well in the US, Nashville’s all-important convention and meetings industry isn’t recovering so quickly. Getting all those conferences and meeting travelers back in the air is heavily contingent on rising vaccination rates in Nashville and elsewhere.
“We know vaccines are key to beating COVID-19 and getting back to activities like visiting loved ones and traveling for leisure and business,” says American’s Nate Gatten
As well as a public health motive, there is a strong economic motive behind Mayor John Cooper’s ongoing “Refer To Win” campaign, which has offered a range of prizes beyond the American Airlines tickets.
Further information on the chance to win two American Airlines tickets is available on Nashville City Hall’s website.
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