BANGKOK – Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin paid an unscheduled visit to Suvarnabhumi Airport on Monday morning, February 5, 2024, to evaluate the situation and examine the troubled immigration system.
Previously, the biometric system had failed twice, causing problems with the automated channels and rendering them unusable. This had a significant impact at times, with many arriving and departing flights, especially for departing passengers.
This was a good opportunity for him to gather first-hand information so he could make improvements and write a template.
The Prime Minister spent about one hour visiting the airport. He was received and briefed by Pol. Maj. Gen. Chengron Rimpadee, Commander of Immigration Division 2. The Prime Minister then returned to Government House to hold a meeting with all relevant parties involved in the matter. It has already been announced that the modernization of all airports in Thailand will be announced in early March.
“I do not just want to hear reports, I want to see it for myself. We have the opportunity to improve our services in many areas. Starting with the IT system, which is currently operated by several companies without any integration. This applies to both the backup system and the stability of the system. When the number of people increases, the system becomes slow. There is also a lack of immigration police officers,” said Srettha.
He added that during his inspection this morning he saw very long queues, from passport control to baggage x-ray and even when leaving the airport. There are two main problems: People overstaying their visas and people wanted for crimes and trying to leave the country. The IT system can link all this information together, so the systems need to be integrated.
The system crashing issue is needs to be fixed holistically. He personally believes that it will take about 12 months for the whole system to be complete and ready.
The inspection revealed that it normally takes about 45 seconds for a person to enter Suvarnabhumi Airport. However, when there are many people on all channels, the time increases to more than 1 minute per person, causing further delays. The number of tourists is now comparable to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, so all the parties need to find ways to manage the situation.
Srettha said the government has already set KPIs that the entire process, from queuing to stamping of passports, should not take more than 30 minutes. Passengers should be able to collect their luggage and leave immediately. The cab system that picks up passengers should also be improved. Everything is part of the overall plan.
The Prime Minister also said that he had the opportunity to see the rest rooms where officers take breaks during shift changes. He noted that the living conditions were not very good. He therefore ordered that improvements be made.
For departing passengers, the Prime Minister wants the process to take no longer than two hours. Currently it can take up to 3 hours. If Thailand wants to promote tourism, the country must be considerate of tourists’ time. They should have the opportunity to spend their time sightseeing and spending money instead of wasting it at the airport. This is a good opportunity to improve Thai tourism.
According to Miss Sudawan Wangsuphakitkoson, Minister of Tourism and Sports, foreign tourists visiting Thailand during the first month of 2024 (January 1-31) were 3,035,296 people, a 42% increase from the same month in 2023. There was 147,922 million baht in total revenue from foreign visitors.
The top five countries with the most foreign tourists entering Thailand are China (508,563), Malaysia (321,704), South Korea (222,571), Russia (219,167), and India (162,831).
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports has set a target for the Thai tourism sector to generate 3.5 trillion baht in total tourism income by 2024, with 2.3 trillion baht coming from foreign markets from the target number of 35 million foreign tourists and 1.2 trillion baht coming from the domestic market from the target number of 205 million Thai tourists.
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