Tourism operators are closely monitoring Covid flare-ups in many countries ahead of the upcoming high season.

Asian countries are facing a surge in several Covid-19 sub-variants, including the new XBC variant in the Philippines and the XBB variant in Singapore. Most infections in Thailand are from the Omicron BA.5 variant.

One reason for the concern is the cooler season is approaching, which is expected to allow the virus to spread easier.

The Association of Thai Travel Agents said the main concern is inbound tourists, particularly from countries that have yet to fully recover from the pandemic's impact and might refrain from taking overseas trips because of the resurgence of Covid-19 cases.

Japan and South Korea -- two essential markets for Thai tourism -- have both recorded a sharp increase in infections this month. Japan announced an eighth wave of the pandemic with more than 100,000 cases per day over two months, while South Korea saw daily infections reach 70,000 last week.

For the Chinese market, Thailand needs to wait for the results of the "Two Sessions" meeting in March as this annual political gathering will provide a clearer sign of potential travel relaxation.

Thailand is averaging 60,000 foreign arrivals daily.