PM wants tourists sight-seeing or shopping, not stuck in airports

[snoop1130]

 

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has wanted all arriving air passengers from abroad to take no more than 30 minutes going through the immigration procedure and picking up their luggage.

 

He also said that arriving passengers should not spend more than two hours at the airport between arrival and catching public transport to their hotels, because he wants them to spend more time sight-seeing and shopping, rather than at the airport.

 

He also said that he has invited the commissioner of the Immigration Bureau to Government House this afternoon, for a discussion on how to improve services at the country’s main airports, to cope with increased tourist arrivals, including, but not limited to, increasing manpower.

 

Caption: Photo : PM’s twitter

 

Full story: Thai PBS 2024-02-06

 

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[ThailandGuy]

Can this also please for leaving the country?  It takes way to long to get through the queues at emigration when leaving the country. Why?

[BenStark]

3 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has wanted all arriving air passengers from abroad to take no more than 30 minutes going through the immigration procedure and picking up their luggage.

 

How much delay did his presence there, with everyone having to pay heed, caused passengers moving through immigration?

[drrobert]

In Australia, Thais are part of the select nationalities that enter via the automatic gate as the visa are all electonic. On departure everyone goes through the automatic gate. Why not reciprocal rights in Thailand?  

[Gknrd]

Haha, well second "Joke of the day!"  

[CG1 Blue]

3 hours ago, ThailandGuy said:

Can this also please for leaving the country?  It takes way to long to get through the queues at emigration when leaving the country. Why?

Agree. I flew out from BKK in December. First we had to queue for an escalator that took you down to the immigration area, and that was a bun fight with some jumping the queue and nobody organising it. That queue took about 15 minutes. 

 

Then when we finally got down the escalator we had to guess whether to go right or left (I think left was for Thais), so we gambled on right. Then joined a snaking queue with about 6 rows. The booth staff were taking so long for each passenger and we were in the queue for about 45 minutes. 

 

Utter shambles, at the country's 'flagship' airport. 

[ukrules]

I popped along to the local immigration satellite office here in Hua Hin on Monday afternoon, it was 5pm, just wanted to do a 90 day report which takes about 1 or 2 minutes.

 

The screen was turned off so they were done for the day and there must have been 50 or so people sitting around waiting.

 

I spoke to a couple of them who were waiting around and they said the machine had been turned off just 10 or 15 minutes prior to my arrival.

 

Out of curiosity I asked how long they've been waiting and one guy said he pressed the button and got his number at about 11:30am - so they had been waiting for 5 and a half hours already!

 

I'm pretty sure they left the building and carried on with their day before returning and didn't literally sit there for that long but it shows there's a problem inside the country as well as on arrival - and this is sleepy old Hua Hin!

 

The 90 day report can wait, I was early anyway so I'll take my passport with me each time I pop into Bluport on the off chance I can get it done without a wait - but if it's anything like this when I go again then they can shove their 90 day report up their arses and I'll skip it.

 

[hotchilli]

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

He also said that arriving passengers should not spend more than two hours at the airport between arrival and catching public transport to their hotels, because he wants them to spend more time sight-seeing and shopping, rather than at the airport.

Maybe they feel safer in the air-conditioned airport, rather than outside in the pollution.

[jacko45k]

13 hours ago, drrobert said:

In Australia, Thais are part of the select nationalities that enter via the automatic gate as the visa are all electonic. On departure everyone goes through the automatic gate. Why not reciprocal rights in Thailand?  

Australians do not even need to have Visas to visit Thailand, hardly reciprocal!

[Aussie999]

15 hours ago, ThailandGuy said:

Can this also please for leaving the country?  It takes way to long to get through the queues at emigration when leaving the country. Why?

Only yesterday, queued on escalator, turned right, at the bottom, stuck in the queue for 40 minutes, counted 8 booths not open, and the queue behind me was still backed up the escalator, when I finally passed through.

[Sydebolle]

Way to go Sir; we had visitors who spent almost two hours in the "queue of immigration bureaucracy" which - I, for one - would add to the list of attractions in Bangkok. 

The immigration needs a MAJOR revamp to reach this anticipated goal. In Singapore, after Paya Lebar closed and Changi Airport was closed, they managed then already some 30+ years ago to be in a hotel room one hour after touch down. As said "way to go" and maybe - for once - go and look how others handle their immigration. 

Much worse is crossing in and out - overland. Traveling by your own car from i.e. Nong Khai to Vientiane ....... total nonsense, honestly. Apart from a "information of conveyance" (called TM2) - in duplicate, a "passenger list" (called TM3) and a "crew list" called TM4 is required. All with engine and chassis number (Thai car registration number is not sufficient - for whatever reason), no carbon copy paper and, since it is overland, a "departure/arrival card" (TM6) needs to be completed also with only black or blue inked ball pen in capital letters. This, in addition, also requires a re-entry permit. 
The customs for the car is another issue, but does not belong here.

Mr Prime Minister, shake up your underling Anutin - in charge of interior Thai bureaucracy - and inch Thailand's internationalism towards the 21st century - thank you! 

[Aussie999]

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

Australians do not even need to have Visas to visit Thailand, hardly reciprocal!

Hatdly relevant to what you replied to... hint  it wasn't about visas.

[superal]

15 hours ago, CG1 Blue said:

Agree. I flew out from BKK in December. First we had to queue for an escalator that took you down to the immigration area, and that was a bun fight with some jumping the queue and nobody organising it. That queue took about 15 minutes. 

 

Then when we finally got down the escalator we had to guess whether to go right or left (I think left was for Thais), so we gambled on right. Then joined a snaking queue with about 6 rows. The booth staff were taking so long for each passenger and we were in the queue for about 45 minutes. 

 

Utter shambles, at the country's 'flagship' airport. 

The queue after security check leading to the descending escalator , hardly moved one time and airport workers were asking passengers what time their flights departed and some passengers whose flights were about an hour away , were taken out of the queue and to the front of the immigration line . Nearly every time there are not enough immigration officers at arrivals or departures . Planning to arrive at departure check in 3 hours prior to your flight time , is now leaving it tight because sometimes the check in can be slow as well .

[newnative]

     It's not the arrival it's the departure that's the problem--starting with check-in.  The last time my spouse and I flew we were on a budget carrier.  BKK has several of the budget airlines in just one check-in area.  The line to check in went almost half the length of the terminal.  We walked up to the aisle check-in letter--I forget which letter--not realizing we were walking past the check-in line--and not realizing a line could possibly be that long.  This was before you even got to the zig zag part.  We had to turn around and walk back to the end of the line.   Meanwhile, other check-in aisles had hardly any check-ins.   Why not spread out the airlines that are attracting the most passengers to make check-in easier?   The whole departure process took about 3 hours, nearly as long as the flight, itself. 

[fondue zoo]

 

15 minutes is just not enough time for me to beckon you forward, slowly flick through the pages of your passport, stop halfway through and look at you, judge you, pull out the tm6 and read that, both sides. Ask "why you come here, again, again?". Look down shaking head, flick through remaining pages, ask the person behind me a question completely unrelated to you. Choose one of many stamps, stamp passport on single page right in the middle, Thailand needs full page for stamp, you whoreson foreigner!. Check random pages in passport again, audibly sigh. I grant you entry to Siam this one time, but never again, take yourself from my sight.

 

_{IM officer probably}

 

_{- To be fair I've only had this experience once, most have been quite pleasant.}

Edited February 8 by fondue zoo

[fondue zoo]

I hope he remained on deck to watch the well oiled machine in action, stopwatch in hand.