300 tourism businesses given SHA Plus certification in Phuket

Part of the much-debated Phuket Sandbox reopening is guests must stay in SHA Plus-certified hotels, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand just gave certification for more than 300 tourism-related businesses on the island. The Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration Plus Certificate was presented to the businesses yesterday, and those establishments will now display the SHA Plus logo, assuring international travellers of their safety.

The SHA Plus symbol shows customers that the business has been certified to be adhering to all public health measures set up for Covid-19 safety and that 70% of employees have been fully vaccinated as part of the “Phuket Must Win” vaccination rollout. Businesses that meet the standards but don’t have fully vaccinated employees will only receive the SHA status, but not the Plus.

There are 1,389 businesses, accommodations and other venues that have the SHA certificate currently, and 300 with the Plus designation so far, but those numbers are expected to increase as Phuket’s vaccination programme continues, striving to reach the 70% herd immunity threshold target.

In the Phuket Sandbox scheme, from July 1, only fully vaccinated international travellers will be allowed in, and rather than a full quarantine, arrivals will be required to book the first 14 days of their trip in an SHA Plus certified accommodation before being allowed to travel freely throughout Thailand.

The next complex step in the SHA Plus and Phuket Sandbox reopening plan is how arriving tourist should book these hotels and how government officials will confirm tourists are booked in these hotels. The TAT is working with the Phuket Tourist Association and the local chapter of the Thai Hotels Association to develop a SHA Plus Booking Authentication System to confirm arrivals and their hotel bookings.

The plan is to allow arriving international travellers to book their hotels directly or via travel agents or online booking sites, and then hotel staff will bear the responsibility to transmit their customers’ booking details into this “SHABA” system. The system will then create a custom QR code and confirmation number.

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports already has an “Entry Thailand” platform to handle arriving fully vaccinated international tourists, and many related agencies will be coordinating together to integrate the SHABA system.

SOURCE: TAT Newsroom