THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Joint focus on resort for the elderly

Joint focus on resort for the elderly

THE AMATARA Resort & Wellness in Phuket and Bangkok Hospital Group have announced integrated tourism and wellness services to serve ageing societies mainly in Asia and Europe.

 
The parties signed a memorandum of understanding in Phuket yesterday.
Prattana Punnakitikashem, managing director of Amatara A Destination Spa Ltd, operator of the Phuket resort, said it had rebranded and repositioned the resort last year to cash in on the growing wellness market and ageing society.
“The resort aims to become one of the top five wellness destinations in Asia,” she said.
She added that 90 per cent of its customers would come from outside Thailand. Half of them will be from Asia, such as Hong Kong, Singapore, mainland China and South Korea, and half from such countries as the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States and Australia. 
To cater to the rising demand| for wellness services, the hotel has created a health-conscious restaurant called The Retreat, added 17 pool villas to total 52, and initiated a Thai hammam”, the world’s first combination of traditional Turkish and Morocco bathing with Thai spa therapies. The resort also added more conference rooms for group meetings.
The Amatara has 105 rooms, and the average room rate is now Bt8,500 for low season, rising to Bt15,000 in high season. 
“We expect our overall business to grow by 10 per cent after launching the wellness concept,” Prattana said.
Kongkiat Kespechara, chief executive officer of Bangkok Hospital Southern Group, said the company would work with the Amatara to serve both tourists and local residents on the famous resort island and in other provinces on the Andaman coast. 
Meanwhile, Bangkok Airways has agreed to offer its FlyerBonus points to guests staying at the Amatara.
Kongkiat said the main target market was people aged 45 up, but young people who are concerned about their health were also welcome.
“Thailand is entering an ageing-society phase, and many [incurable] diseases and disorders including Alzheimer’s have been found. This is a new opportunity for the group,” he said. 
Last week, Prime Minister General Prayut Cha-o-cha visited Phuket, presiding over the opening a new terminal at Phuket International Airport. The airport has completed an expansion worth Bt5.67 billion, which is expected to double official annual passenger capacity to more than 12.5 million.
In fact, the airport already surpassed that capacity last year, handling 6.9 million international travellers and 5.9 million domestic passengers. The airport served 8.9 million passengers during the first seven months of this year, a 19.7-per-cent increase from the same period last year. 
The Thai Hotels Association Southern Chapter says more than 30 new hotels and resorts with more than 5,500 rooms are scheduled to open in Phuket over the next few years.
 
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