Low-cost carrier Thai Vietjet resumed flights between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on Thursday, seeking to attract Taiwanese tourists to the popular Southeast Asian destination, a Thai official said.

To mark the relaunch of the service, Twekiat Janprajak, executive director of the Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei, greeted passengers at the check-in desk for flight VZ563 to Bangkok at Taiwan’s main air hub in Taoyuan.

No quarantine is required for travelers to Thailand since July 1, and the country is ready to welcome back tourists, said the Thai official, who serves as the kingdom’s representative to Taiwan in lieu of formal diplomatic ties between the two countries.

At least 700,000-800,000 trips to Thailand were made by Taiwanese every year before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Southeast Asian country has planned a series of promotional campaigns to bring back tourists, the Thai official said.

Thai Vietjet, part of the Vietnam-based Vietjet Group, currently schedules one weekly return flight on Thursdays.

Also on Thursday, car rental service e-go began a trial run of robots to greet and guide renters at Terminal 2 of Taoyuan International Airport to reduce contact between people and risks of catching COVID-19.

Travelers who book a vehicle the day before they arrive in Taiwan can find the white humanoid named “Xiao Fa” in the arrival hall and confirm their booking, while another robot “Xiao Me” will offer the renters directions or take renters to their vehicles, the rental service said.

Under Taiwan’s current COVID-19 protocols, arriving passengers can only travel in designated taxis or buses, or be picked up by chauffeured cars or relatives or friends from the airport to be taken directly to their destination for a mandatory three-day quarantine.

The robots only offer limited services during the trial run, but can be used in other scenarios to provide directions at the airport in the future, the company said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel