Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul believes the only case of Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) found in Thailand so far will not have an affect on tourism.
Mrs Kobkarn expressed her optimism after an inspection of Suvarnabhumi airport on Sunday to assure measures are in place to scan tourists arriving from Mers-risk countries.
She said the discovery of the first Mers case in Thailand had not affected Thailand's tourist arrivals so far. Checks of flight bookings revealed that no tourists destined for Thailand had cancelled their trips.
Mrs Kobkarn said she is confident in the measures being taken against the deadly virus because Thailand was able to cope with bird flu and Ebola outbreaks in the past.
She said she is confident Thailand will meet the target of 28.8 million tourists in 2015, or an increase of 10-20% from 2014 when tourist numbers were 24.7 million, compared to 26.5 million in 2013.
"The Tourism and Sports and Public Health ministries are working as a team (to prevent the Mers spread). This strong management can make tourists more confident in travelling to Thailand," Mrs Kobkarn said.