The resort cities of Hua Hin and Cha-am are expecting a slow reopening throughout the final quarter with 5% of the overall international arrivals in 2019.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand's (TAT) deputy governor said travellers cannot visit the areas directly under the Test & Go scheme as they are more than a two-hour drive from Bangkok.

He said total visitors during the first three days of the country's reopening were 2,000 per day on average, mainly at Suvarnabhumi airport.

So far, there are no arrivals in Hua Hin and Cha-am.

Before the pandemic, Hua Hin and Cha-am welcomed 1 million and 500,000 foreign travellers per year, respectively.

He said AirAsia is considering operating flights from Kuala Lumpur to Hua Hin, which could generate more demand from Malaysian golfers, while Jetstar also plans to launch operations from Singapore to Hua Hin by next year.

The hotel occupancy rate in Hua Hin is now around 30%, but will increase to 60% in the last two months, particularly in December.

Cha-am will take until February to see more international travellers, with 20,000 expected a month.