THE Thai government may resume the Test & Go scheme from Tuesday in anticipation of more than 465,000 tourists expected at Suvarnabhumi Airport between Jan 26 and Feb 7 for the Chinese New Year holidays.
Reports in Bangkok Post said they expected 115,931 international and 349,552 domestic travellers.
Airport general manager, Kittipong Kittikachorn said the figures constituted a 37.12 per cent increase in air traffic compared to the same period last year.
He said 10 airlines have since requested for an additional 50 flights between them during that period.
Top three carriers offering special flights during the period are Bangkok Airways with 14 flights, Myanmar Airways (eight) an TWay Airlines, which is the South Kirean low-cost carrier with eight.
The Chinese New Year holidays this year will be between Sunday and Tuesday.
Yesterday, Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha expressed confidence that Thailand was prepared to welcome tourists under the Test & Go scheme which will resume on Feb 1.
Quoting the prime minister, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said this will help the tourism sector bounce back after the scheme was suspended following the outbreak of the Omicron variant.
He said Thailand's public health system is sufficiently equipped to deal with the situation after the resumption of the scheme and at least eight million tourists are expected to arrive throughout the year, generating some 480 billion baht (RM60.2m) in income.
Deputy government spokeswoman Traisulee Traisoranakul said that Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul met representatives of the Tourism Council of Thailand and tourism associations in eastern Thailand for talks yesterday.
The group thanked the government for its decision to resume the Test & Go programme and urged it to speed up efforts to resuscitate the tourism sector, Traisulee said.
One proposal involves the exemption of value-added tax for hospitels (hospital-cum-hotels) as an incentive for operators and to reduce their financial burdens. Anutin pledged to submit the proposals for consideration by the prime minister and the cabinet, added Traisulee.
She went on to announce that the government is considering measures to reopen the country, although there would still be a need to follow virus prevention protocols.
The "Test & Go" programme for international visitors resumes on Tuesday with a number of extra measures in place, including another RT-PCR test on the fifth day after travellers enter Thailand.
The scheme was suspended earlier this month in response to growing concerns about the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
Under the programme, overseas visitors must spend one night in a certified hotel while they wait for the result of their first RT-PCR test taken on arrival.
Those who test negative for Covid-19 are then allowed to leave and explore the rest of the country.
When Test & Go resumes on Feb 1, travellers will be required to take two tests, one on the first day and then another on the fifth day.