Penang medical tourism draws 285,400 visitors, generates RM601.8m

GEORGE TOWN: Penang, Southeast Asia's leading medical tourism hub, attracted 285,400 tourists and generated a revenue of RM601.8 million in medical tourism in the first half of this year.

State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said the figures, provided by the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), reflected the continued growth of Penang's medical tourism sector.

Wong said Penang welcomed about 520,000 medical tourists in 2025, generating RM1.14 billion in revenue.

Wong said the latest figures only covered hospitals and excluded dental clinics, clinical laboratories, diagnostic centres, pharmacies and other healthcare-related providers.

"When the medical tourism ecosystem is viewed in its entirety, the actual number of medical tourists served by Penang and the economic activities generated are likely to be even more significant," he said.

Wong said Penang accounted for more than one-third of Malaysia's medical tourism industry in terms of both tourist numbers and economic contribution, describing the state as the country's leading medical tourism destination.

"Penang's strengths include internationally accredited healthcare institutions, modern medical facilities and equipment, competitive healthcare costs, quality services and multilingual capabilities.

"While price is certainly one of Penang's attractions for medical tourists, it is by no means our only advantage," he said.

Wong said Indonesia remained Penang's largest medical tourism source market, with direct flights currently connecting the state with Jakarta, Surabaya, Banda Aceh and Medan.

He said a new direct route between Batam and Penang was scheduled to begin on Oct 18, further strengthening connectivity with Indonesia.

However, Wong said Penang should diversify its source markets amid growing competition from neighbouring countries including

Vietnam and Thailand.

"Penang will not be content with relying solely on the Indonesian market, but will continue consolidating traditional source markets while identifying and developing a more diverse range of potential international markets," he said.

Wong identified the Arab region and Australia as potential markets, citing competitive pricing, Muslim-friendly tourism offerings and tourism attractions.

He said the state could also promote health screening as part of its medical tourism offering, highlighting the convenience of obtaining multiple examinations and, in some cases, same-day reports at a single healthcare institution.

Wong said the state government's meeting with MHTC in Kuala Lumpur recently was aimed at reviewing Penang's medical tourism performance and discussing strategic direction, resource coordination and joint promotional efforts for the final quarter of 2026.

He said understanding the healthcare needs and preferred medical services of different source markets would enable Penang to tailor overseas promotions more precisely.