Immigration officials at Suvarnabhumi, Bangkok’s main and busiest pre-spring airport, are struggling to cope with the growing influx of foreign tourists flooding into Thailand.
Thus, photos of the airport “choking” from the influx of tourists, taken on Sunday, October 20, showed great prospects for the high tourist season in Thailand, which lasts from November to April. According to detailed information from The Thaiger, from 13:00 to 17:00 on Sunday, 76 flights landed on the airport runway, an average of 20 flights per hour. According to the representative of the Immigration Bureau, General Chengron Rimfadi, an average of 3,000-4,000 foreign tourists passed the immigration service every hour that day. This is by far the busiest airport that was before the pandemic.
To prevent arrivals from having to wait more than an hour at immigration, as was the case in Europe last summer, all immigration booths were previously staffed, with workers taking no more than 45 seconds to check everyone’s passport details, visa status, personal biometrics, and black status, who arrived
At the same time, staff is keeping a close watch to ensure that foreign criminals posing as tourists do not slip through the net into the kingdom ahead of the APEC summit in Bangkok on November 18-19, which will be attended by 18 heads of state.
In preparation for the busy season, the airport has increased the number of immigration booths from 92 to 112. According to authorities, each booth will be staffed during business hours. It was clarified that the Bangkok airport is capable of registering about 6,500 passengers per hour without compromising security.
“Airports of Thailand (AOT) staff help the immigration process run smoothly by lining up passengers and helping them prepare their documents before going through immigration. Currently, Suvarnabhumi Airport receives an average of 45,000 to 50,000 people daily, and the airport expects the numbers to only increase,” the publication noted.
According to tourism experts, the increase in the number of foreign arrivals has been helped by some of Thailand’s policy measures, including allowing tourists to stay longer in the kingdom. In addition, the loyal attitude of travelers is explained by the legalization of marijuana for medical use and the complete removal of anti-covid restrictions and entry requirements.