Thailand: Chinese tourists could cause years of misery for Thai airports

Thailand, land of golden temples, white-sand beaches, smiling hosts. Or of overcrowded airports, epic traffic jams and littered seashores. Facing a deluge of Chinese tourists that has strained its airports beyond capacity, the Southeast Asian nation is spending billions to upgrade its infrastructure,. But the change will take years and even then may fail to keep up with soaring visitor numbers. At the heart of the upgrade, and the congestion, are Bangkok’s 2 international airports: Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang, which are running at 40% beyond designed capacity. New terminals, facilities and another runway would allow them to handle 130m passengers a year, including inbound and outbound trips. But work won’t be completed until 2022 at the earliest, and the first taste most travellers get of the Thai capital is a long queue at immigration. <br/>