(UPDATE) THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Monday that they are expecting a surge in international travel to the Philippines this holiday season, which could reach more than 110,000 arrivals and departures.
Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said that last year, Christmas weekend arrivals hit an average of more than 53,000 while departures logged 43,000.
“We are expecting the numbers to further increase this year, and we believe that it will now exceed pre-pandemic numbers,” he said.
Prior to the pandemic, the BI reported an average of 55,000 daily arrivals in December 2019, with an average of 47,000 departures.
Viado assured the traveling public that preparations have been made to ensure smooth operations during the holiday season.
As a regular practice, applications for leave of frontline officers are denied during the peak season to ensure full deployment capacity.
“We have ramped up our operations at major international airports, with additional personnel to maintain a smooth flow of passengers,” said Viado, adding that, “Our team is closely monitoring our operations.”
In addition to the new officers, the BI is deploying personnel from its main office to support airport operations.
Also, the BI said that they are activating its rapid response teams and deploying mobile counters to ensure efficient processing during the peak season.
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