Insufficient vehicles and expensive transportation costs at the airport on the first day of reopening prompted tourism operators to ask for more relaxation of transport permits.
Thanet Supornsahasrungsi of the Chon Buri Tourism Council said only vehicles with yellow or green licence plates can pick up tourists at the airport, but the number of available vehicles is not enough, while the price is also higher than usual.
Under the Test & Go scheme, tourists can book the first night with hotels in Bangkok or go directly to nearby destinations like Pattaya to wait for their RT-PCR test results.
He said the flow of tourists will run more smoothly if general licence plates can pick up tourists with drivers being registered with the Airports of Thailand during the first stage of reopening.
He said lifting capacity limits in vans from 3-4 to 8-10 passengers from the same flight will reduce transportation costs to Pattaya which are normally 2,000 baht per person, making the price more competitive with Bangkok which costs less than 500 per person.
Mr Thanet said 90% of bookings in the first week were Test & Go travellers who booked just one night as they already have apartments, families or workplaces in Chon Buri, while 10% are tourists looking for extended stays of more than one night in Pattaya.
