Tiny republic inside Italy branches into vaccination tourism.

San Marino, the tiny landlocked country within northern Italy, is to offer the Sputnik V covid-19 vaccine to visitors from 17 May.

The vaccination programme will be open to foreign, non-Italian citizens, the republic's tourism ministry has announced.

The move comes as San Marino, which is not a member of the EU, reopens fully after receiving a batch of the Sputnik vaccine from Russia.

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Tourists to the enclave will be offered two doses of the Russian-made vaccine, as yet unauthorised by the European Medicines Agency, at a cost of €50.

The microstate, which has around 34,000 inhabitants and claims to be the world's oldest republic, said on 12 May that it has no patients hospitalised with coronavirus.

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Health minister Roberto Ciavatta said that so far San Marino has administered 36,000 doses of the vaccine, with 22,000 people receiving the first dose and 14,000 fully vaccinated.

Tourists who wish to receive the Sputnik vaccine in San Marino should reserve hotel rooms for a minimum of three nights, at least one week before arrival, and make plans to return for their second jab 21-28 days later.

Full details about covid-19 restrictions and travel requirements can be found - in English - on the Republic of San Marino website.