New Covid-19 measures for entering Ireland are due to come into effect from Friday as the Government tries to stem the spread of the virus.
Some people planning to travel abroad may have already cancelled their trips as Europe struggles to curve Covid cases.
The new restrictions will see all arrivals aged 12 and over asked to present a negative Covid test upon arrival into Ireland.
Those who are fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid must provide a negative antigen test taken within 48 hours before arrival or a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of arrival.
The test must be privately paid for by a professional tester and cannot be self-administered.
The current rules mean people arriving into Ireland do not need to quarantine unless they have been to some countries in southern Africa.
However, Minister Stephen Donnelly has said the Government needs to have a system for hotel quarantine "ready to go".
Speaking during a debate in the Dail on Thursday, Mr Donnelly said the current travel restrictions "may not be enough" to curb the spread of the virus and said he expects more cases of the Omicron variant.
The Health Amendment (No 3) Bill 2021, which allows the Government to reinstate mandatory hotel quarantine for people arriving from high-risk countries, is expected to be extended.
Mr Donnelly said: "We know that the system of hotel mandatory quarantine previously in place worked," with 593 residents testing positive for the virus and a total of 17,846 tests completed.
He added: "This data, of course, does not take account of cases which were avoided in the community as a result of hotel quarantine, or of the travellers who delayed travel to Ireland as a result of the imposition of quarantine."
The Minister said he thinks the legislation is a fair and proportionate balance between "the protection of public health and the common good in the situation we face, on the one hand, and the limited restriction of individual rights, on the other".
He added: "It is of note that the UK introduced hotel quarantine very quickly in response to the emergence, and potential risk, of the new variant.
"The Irish Government has decided at this point to reintroduce the legal basis for hotel quarantine, should it be deemed necessary in response to the threat posed by Omicron variant."
