The Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration (SHA) certification is being further expanded to also include transportation providers in Phuket.
This will cover all types of transportation on the island, including public transport, tour transport, vans, and other vehicles. The SHA certification already covers hotels, restaurants, attractions, shops, and other categories in Phuket. Visitors to Phuket under the recently launched ‘Sandbox’ programme are required to stay at SHA+ hotels.
Over the weekend of 3-4 July, a SHA application facilitation event was held at the TAT Phuket Office to accept applications for certification and to provide consultation on the SHA standard and the certification audition process.
On 5 July, the TAT Phuket Office in partnership with the Phuket Tourist Association and Phuket Provincial Transport Office organized a training event on the SHA and SHA+ certification. This was to educate transport providers in Phuket and from nearby provinces on the public health and safety guidelines, as well as additional preparation required to apply for the certificate. The event was well attended by over 400 transport providers.
Like hotels and restaurants, transportation providers in Phuket who are awarded the SHA certificate can then proceed to apply for the SHA+ certification.
To be awarded the SHA certification, a business must have in place the necessary safety and hygiene standards to control COVID-19.
The SHA+ certification indicates a business also has at least 70% of its employees fully vaccinated.
The Amazing Thailand SHA certification is a key component of the efforts to control COVID-19. It was introduced in May 2020, and has been certified by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) in alignment with the WTTC SafeTravels global health and hygiene standardized protocols.
To date, there are 1,389 SHA-certified venues and businesses across Phuket in the accommodation, restaurant and dining, travel agency, and other sectors. More than 460 of these have SHA+ certification, a number which is continuously growing as all SHA establishments are encouraged to apply for this.
A list of SHA and SHA+ establishments and operators can be viewed here. (TAT)