World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL) has highlighted that the Reciprocal Green Lane/Travel Corridor Arrangement (RGL/TCA) travel bubble between Malaysia and Indonesia will be beneficial for the Business Events (BE) industry and Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) industry.
Referring to the four-eye meeting between Malaysia’s Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, the deal is bound to revive and revitalise both BE and MICE industry for the two countries.
According to the Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS), the industry faced an estimated total loss of RM2.25 billion.
Meanwhile, the MICE industry in Indonesia recorded an estimated loss of RP2.7 to RP6.9 trillion (RM783.7 million to RM2.0 billion) and this has affected a total of 90,000 workers from the industry.
Even though business events or conferences have shifted to hybrid events, the BE and MICE industries would like to see a ray of hope with immediate implementation of the RGL/TCA travel bubble in stabilising the Malaysian and Indonesian economy.
“I suggest that the RGL/TCA is quicken, especially for Malaysia’s BE and MICE industries. We can see that the industries are amongst the main contributors to the country’s economy. If it is implemented soon, it will continue to enhance the Malaysian economy as we need to bounce back.
Certainly, we will also consider strict controls for implementing the RGL/TCA travel bubble with great attention to detail to ensure that the zones involved continue to be green zones and safe for visitors,” Executive Director of World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL), Irmohizam Ibrahim said.
WTCKL emphasised that the RGL/TCA travel bubble is crucial to balance and assist the industry to generate income for the economy in Malaysia.
Furthermore, the BE and MICE industries can be boosted internationally if countries from South East Asia (SEA), Asia Pacific (APAC) and the Oceania region participated in the RGL/TCA travel bubble agreement.
