BI expects 110K daily Yule travelers

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) expects around 110,000 travelers during the Christmas season, Commissioner Atty. Joel Anthony Viado announced.

According to the BI, last year’s Christmas weekend saw an average of more than 53,000 arrivals and 43,000 departures daily.

“We think the number of travelers will now surpass pre-pandemic levels, and we anticipate continued growth this year,” Viado said.

Before the pandemic, the BI recorded an average of 55,000 arrivals per day in December. In 2019, the agency also noted an average of 47,000 departures daily during the holiday season.

Viado assured travelers that the bureau has made necessary arrangements to ensure smooth operations during the busy period.

“To guarantee full deployment capacity, leave requests from frontline officers are usually denied during this peak season,” he said.

The BI has increased staffing at major international airports to manage passenger flow efficiently. Newly hired officers and staff from the bureau’s main office have also been deployed to assist airport operations.

Additionally, the BI has set up mobile counters and activated rapid reaction teams to ensure effective processing during the holiday rush.