24 March 2021
A Business Travellers Centre (BTC) has been set up at KL International Airport (KLIA) to facilitate the entry of foreign business travellers.
“The BTC is one of the main components of the One Stop Centre (OSC) initiative that has been set up by the government.
“This initiative allows senior executives and technical experts to enter the country on either a short-term or long-term basis, ” said Senior Minister and International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali at the launch of the centre, located at Gate C36, Satellite Terminal at KLIA.
The BTC aims to provide fast track services for short-term business travellers, who do not hold dedicated entry passes and intend to stay in the country for 14 days or less.
Arriving business travellers take a RT-PCR swab test at a dedicated Covid-19 laboratory within the BTC, and the results can be out within three hours.
Once approved, the business travellers would go to a immigration green lane.
A government liaison officer is appointed for business travellers with a specific itinerary.
Azmin said the BTC was modelled around lessons and practices in Singapore, South Korea and countries in the European Union.
“In order to achieve this, close collaboration with the Health Ministry and Immigration Department has been essential, ” he said.
The BTC is a colloborative effort between International Trade and Industry Ministry, the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida), Health Ministry, Immigration Department, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd and Malaysia Airlines Bhd.
“The OSC initiative is driven by the catch phrase: Welcoming Investors, Keeping You Safe.
“While we are pulling out all the stops to encourage business travellers to come to Malaysia, we are also proactively ensuring that all the necessary health protocols are complied with because the safety of travellers – and of course, the safety of everyone – remains our paramount concern, ” said Azmin.
To date, the OSC committee has approved 93 appplications for short-term business travellers, from companies with total investments valued at RM15bil.
Meanwhile, Mida has identified RM82bil worth of investments in potential leads and another RM65.9bil in the pipeline.
Related news: Govt eases foreign business travellers’ entry with BTC
Source: thestar.com.my
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