The target? 100% herd immunity for healthcare and hospitality workers so international tourists can be welcomed from October without the now-mandatory quarantine.
It’s especially inspiring when an iconic brand uses its clout for the greater good. Chiva-Som International Health Resort, one of the world’s most well-known wellness destinations, is doing just that to help harness the community to ensure health and safety in the reopening of seaside hotspot Hua Hin, Thailand, to travellers.
The ‘Hua Hin Recharge’ campaign has been initiated by Chiva-Som to revitalise this part of the Thai Riviera. They envisaged it as a collaboration between the locals, healthcare providers as well as private enterprises. Their aim is to achieve herd immunity in the Prachuap Kirikhan province as a pilot area to welcome international tourists from October 2021.
The recharge project recently received approval from Thailand’s National Committee on Tourism. The plan includes providing accurate information to everyone and accelerating the allocation of vaccines to the Hua Hin Municipality from June 1, with the goal of achieving a herd immunity target of 100 per cent of healthcare and hospitality workers, and 70 per cent of the general population.
According to Chiva-Som representatives, this will be a milestone step to waiving mandatory quarantine for vaccinated visitors in a bid to revive tourism in the province – an area that has 182 registered hotels.
Chiva-Som has worked closely and successfully with the community before, supporting many social welfare programmes, hiring and training locals as well as using local vendors for fresh ingredients, products and services.
Krip Rojanastien, Chairman and CEO of Chiva-Som, says, “We are honoured to have Krod Rojanastien, President of the Thai Spa Association and member of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, represent Chiva-Som and spearhead the collaboration from the private sector. It is a commendable combined effort by Chiva-Som and the Hua Hin community, and the first step to welcoming international tourism back – a vital sector for the communities of Hua Hin as a recognised wellness hub and long-stay destination.”
The Hua Hin Municipality believes that once visitors are able to return, they will receive approximately 100,000 travellers, employing 89,900 staff in the hotel and tourism sector between October and December 2021.
Chiva-Som was created as a ‘haven of life’ in 1993 by the late Boonchu Rojanastien, to help as many people as possible to return to the path of wellness. Today, 28 years later, Chiva-Som seems to be hand-holding Hua Hin towards wellness in much the same way!
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