PHUKET — Many tourists are visiting Phuket during the high season. The Prime Minister held a meeting about this. He wants to make sure tourists are safe. He also wants to prevent crime. The Prime Minister said immigration checks should be faster. He wants tourists to wait no more than 30 minutes at immigration.
On August 11, reporters stated that Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, during his vacation in Phuket, called a meeting with agencies related to tourism in Phuket to prepare for the high season from September to February.
Representatives at the meeting included the Royal Thai Police, Police Region 8, Phuket Provincial Police, Tourist Police, Immigration Police, Marine Police, Royal Thai Navy, the Provincial Governor, and Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited.
The PM instructed all agencies, especially the police, to prepare for tourist services, focusing on potential crime issues involving or affecting tourists. Currently, tourist numbers are increasing, even though it’s not yet the peak season.
Airports of Thailand reported that in August, there are 20-30 daily flights to Phuket Airport. During the high season, 14,000-15,000 tourists are expected to arrive daily, totaling about 600,000 tourists per month – a 100% increase from last year.
The PM ordered the airport to facilitate tourists, especially in baggage handling to avoid long waits. He also emphasized using automated document verification to ease the burden on immigration officers and reduce waiting times to no more than 30 minutes during peak hours.
Police Region 8 reported on measures to facilitate tourists and prevent crime, including coordination with consulates of countries with high tourist numbers such as Russia, China, India, Australia, UK, and Scandinavian countries. They’ve also increased multilingual volunteer numbers to assist tourists.
The PM asked the Navy, especially the 3rd Naval Area Command, to ensure marine safety, particularly for nature tourism, passenger boat issues, sea rescue operations, and assistance for large cruise ships visiting Phuket.
Lastly, Srettha asked the Phuket Governor to monitor the situation of hidden populations, especially foreign workers and long-stay tourists, coordinating with immigration police to ensure legal compliance.
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