Published
on
By
Nearly 50,000 foreign tourists arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand yesterday. Reassuring statistics reported by immigration indicate a revival of Thailand’s tourism industry, although arrivals are still nowhere near close to hitting pre-pandemic levels.
Today, Commander of the Immigration Bureau Pol. Maj. Gen. Choengron Rimphadee confirmed that the picture of a giant queue at immigration posted on social media is real and was taken yesterday, November 10, 2022.
Yesterday afternoon, an average of 20 – 25 flights per hour landed on the runway at Suvarnabhumi causing a rush at immigration. During that period, immigration processed around 3,000 people every hour, said Choengron.
Of the total 57,453 arrivals at Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday, 8,026 were Thai nationals and 49,427 were foreigners.
The highest numbers of foreign arrivals came from India, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, and America, respectively…
Other – 32,081
The police officer believes Thailand’s decision to extend maximum tourist stays from 30 to 45 days for most countries and 15 to 30 days for some countries is the main reason for the surge in foreign arrivals.
Immigration officials can check in up to 7000 passengers per hour without comprising the security of the nation, said Choengron. Immigration officers spend no longer than 45 seconds checking the passport data, visa status, personal biometric data, and blacklist status of each arrival.
He said that immigration officials need to be wary of foreign criminals disguising themselves as tourists, especially with the APEC 2022 Summit coming up in Bangkok next week.
The policeman said foreign fugitives who slip into Thailand often end up overstaying their visa, undertaking illegal business activities, and committing crimes. Immigration officials are under strict orders to catch criminals before they get through the border to ensure the safety of world leaders attending the APEC meeting from November 18-19.
Today, Airports of Thailand (AOT) said they are negotiating with Grab about using their services to fill taxi shortages at Suvarnabhumi Airport and Don Mueang Airport.
Since November 21, a total of 6,748,764 foreign tourists have arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport…
FREE APP: ANDROID or iOS | HAVE YOUR SAY FORUM | 
Join the conversation and have your say on Thailand news published on The Thaiger.
Thaiger Talk is our new Thaiger Community where you can join the discussion on everything happening in Thailand right now.
Please note that articles are not posted to the forum instantly and can take up to 20 min before being visible. Click for more information and the Thaiger Talk Guidelines.
Leah is a translator and news writer for the Thaiger. Leah studied East Asian Religions and Thai Studies at the University of Leeds and Chiang Mai University. Leah covers crime, politics, environment, human rights, entertainment, travel and culture in Thailand and southeast Asia.
Wife survives husband’s murder-suicide plan in Isaan
Wife’s ex-husband shoots new husband in the penis
Challenges of starting a business in Thailand as a foreigner
Safety systems at Central World found fully functional after fire
‘Big Joke’ goes back to school to hunt visa crooks
CAAT warns Thai VietJet for cancelling three Phuket – Bangkok flights in one day
Phuket flight cancellation due to earlier cancelled flight, runway maintenance
Sex outside of marriage to carry one year jail sentence in Indonesia
Insurgent bomb derails train in Songkhla
Thailand’s 10 year LTR visa most popular among Americans and Chinese
Copyright © 2022 Thaiger