PHUKET: Immigration police numbers at Phuket International Airport are to be boosted by 122 officers who are now undergoing induction and training.
The new officers reported for duty at the airport yesterday. Fresh staff will go a long way towards easing congestion that sometimes delays processing tourists arriving or leaving Phuket.
The boost to Immigration staff numbers was revealed at Phuket Provincial Hall in Phuket City today.
Tourist passenger numbers have soared beyond the original maximum capacity of Phuket airport. Increasing the number of Immigration desks and the officers to man them has taken longer.
Immigration officials at Phuket airport were today reluctant to provide the total number of officers who will soon be working at Phuket airport.
A total of 9.3 million passengers are expected to pass through the Phuket facility in 2012. This figure includes both arrivals and departures, and international and domestic fliers.
Approximately half that number are domestic travellers, and cutting the number of international passengers in half reduces arrivals and departures to arrivals.
The figures indicate Phuket can expect about 2.3 million international visitors this year.
''Excursionists'' - expat residents taking international trips and returning - are estimated to be roughly the equivalent of visitors from overseas arriving by cruise ship or bus.
Construction of a new international terminal and enlarged airport parking facilities at Phuket airport begins on Monday and is predicted to be complete in 2015.
The new officers reported for duty at the airport yesterday. Fresh staff will go a long way towards easing congestion that sometimes delays processing tourists arriving or leaving Phuket.
The boost to Immigration staff numbers was revealed at Phuket Provincial Hall in Phuket City today.
Tourist passenger numbers have soared beyond the original maximum capacity of Phuket airport. Increasing the number of Immigration desks and the officers to man them has taken longer.
Immigration officials at Phuket airport were today reluctant to provide the total number of officers who will soon be working at Phuket airport.
A total of 9.3 million passengers are expected to pass through the Phuket facility in 2012. This figure includes both arrivals and departures, and international and domestic fliers.
Approximately half that number are domestic travellers, and cutting the number of international passengers in half reduces arrivals and departures to arrivals.
The figures indicate Phuket can expect about 2.3 million international visitors this year.
''Excursionists'' - expat residents taking international trips and returning - are estimated to be roughly the equivalent of visitors from overseas arriving by cruise ship or bus.
Construction of a new international terminal and enlarged airport parking facilities at Phuket airport begins on Monday and is predicted to be complete in 2015.
Good news for travellers and hopefull it will bear fruit soon. Whilst we have to live with the current visa regulations and accept the rules for Tourist, non-Immigrant O and Retirement visas the requirement for a lot of people to have to do 90 day in/out visas could benefit from review. To leave Ranong and re-enter the country 90 minutes later is a bit silly. I realise a lot of people take advantage of visa runs to Singapore, KL etc to have a mini-break but when you multiply it by the numbers involved Thailand must lose millions of baht every year.
Posted by Mister Ree on September 27, 2012 14:44