In a bid to reopen its tourism industry, Hua Hin has set the goal of having at least 70% of its local population and 100% of its tourism sector workers inoculated against Covid-19.
Mr Krod Rojanastien, head of the Hua Hin Recharge project, said that more than 30% of the area's general population have been given Covid-19 shots.
If Hua Hin can receive tourists from October as planned, the district can expect about 100,000 visitors and more than 1.2 billion baht in tourism-related revenue by the year's end, he said.
Run by local tourism business operators, Hua Hin Recharge has been working with state organisations, hospitals, local health authorities and tourism associations in Hua Hin to speed up vaccinations, he added.
Foreign tourists who visit Hua Hin after reopening will be required to follow the same standards set under the Phuket Sandbox programme, said Itsara Sathapanaset, head of Tourism Authority of Thailand's Prachuap Khiri Khan Office.
The rules include full Covid-19 vaccination and negative Covid-19 testing results prior to departure for Thailand and a 14-day stay in Hua Hin before travelling to other destinations in Thailand, he said.
During the 14-day stay, these visitors will be required to undergo two Covid-19 tests, he said.
In Surat Thani, provincial governor Witchawut Chinto, on Thursday ordered Koh Samui and Koh Phangan districts to heighten their security efforts to restore tourist confidence following the recent murder of a Swiss tourist in Phuket.
Local police and soldiers have been ordered to step up patrolling crime-prone areas and remote tourist attractions, said the governor after a meeting with police, tourism business operators and local tourism authorities.
From July 15 until Tuesday, Surat Thani welcomed a total of 264 tourists under its Samui Plus Model tourism reopening programme, plus 257 Phuket Sandbox tourists who travelled on to the province from Phuket, Mr Witchawut said.
Only two visitors have tested positive for Covid-19 so far and they are being treated in hospital, he added.