APEC business travellers jump the queue

"You arrive at some airport late at night. You're already exhausted and then you see a queue of fifty-or-so people at the visa counter...

"...And then you walk straight to the front of that queue. That is particularly sweet."

It is a rare occasion when tales of travel are relayed with a smile, though they are almost always told with exuberance. Common themes involve luggage that ends up in Yellowknife, undiplomatic airline staff or miserly quantities of ostensibly regional cuisine, micro-waved into yellowed squares of plastic.

In some cases, irritations begin long before takeoff and continue well past landing. Obtaining visas and passing through customs can be a recurring nuisance to business travelers, many of whom pass through the same countries, several times in the same month.

"I can think of so many times when I have had to spend my time, going to an embassy, collecting forms, bringing them back, waiting another week, going back to collect them and pay fees..." explains one such traveler. "It's just such a waste of time and money."

Apart from annoyance caused to the individual, the time and cost of travel administration also hurts business. This is particularly true in the case of smaller businesses which cannot afford to spare staff or incur the extra costs.

This is precisely why APEC developed the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC), explains Benedict Coles, who oversees the ABTC processing unit. "It allows card holders to travel frequently, easily and with minimal preparation time. Cardholders do not need to apply for individual visas or entry permits each time they travel."

Essentially, the ABTC is their visa. ABTC holders are provided with pre-cleared, multiple entry to participating APEC economies for short stay business visits; access to express immigration processing on arrival and departure in specially-designated lanes; and "fast track" immigration lanes at all international airports in the United States and 8 major international airports in Canada. "This means that business people can easily explore new business opportunities, attend meetings and conduct trade and investment activities throughout the region - spontaneously and without wasting valuable time and money," says Coles.

According to one ABTC member, based in Singapore, "There's quite a buzz about it in our business. It seemed to happen some time last year - a tipping point. And now everyone has one and talks about how great it is."

There are currently 57,284 holders and recent surveys indicate that almost all of them use their cards frequently. Cardholders must be citizens/passport holders of a participating economy and travel regularly to conduct trade and investment activities in the APEC region. There are 20 economies currently participating in the ABTC Scheme: Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Chile; China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; the Philippines; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; and Viet Nam. Canada and the United States of America are currently transitional members of the scheme.