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The Thai Tourism Authority sought to reassure travellers that it was doing as much as possible to minimise disruption as anti-government protestors began efforts to shut down the capital Bangkok today.
A network of ‘Tourist Friend Centres’ manned by multilingual staff has been set up to assist tourists in the main rail stations and other key areas around the city.
There have been no reported flight cancellations from the UK to Thailand but travellers were urged to allow extra time to get from the centre of Bangkok to the city’s airport
Many check-in desks will be open at least four hours before departure however it is recommended to travel to the airport by the BTS rail link and complete airport check-in at Makkasan station.
The advice came ahead of demonstrators starting to block roads with barricades in parts of Bangkok today in an effort to oust the government ahead of elections on February 2.
The protesters, who began their campaign in November, want to replace the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra with an unelected ‘People’s Council’.
At least seven people were reported injured when unknown gunmen opened fire on demonstrators at the main rally site in the city.
Police said a gunman also fired shots at the opposition party headquarters in a separate incident, although no casualties were reported.
The government says it is deploying 8,000 soldiers and 10,000 police to keep order.
The military – which has carried out several coups in the past – has refused to rule out another one. Some fear an escalation of violence could lead to a military intervention, the BBC reported.