GEORGE TOWN, Sept 30 (Bernama) -- Penang attracted about 285,400 medical tourists and generated RM601.8 million in medical tourism revenue in the first half (1H) of 2026, according to data from the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC).
State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said the performance underscored the significant scale of Penang’s medical tourism market and its continued importance to Malaysia’s healthcare travel industry.
“The growth momentum has continued into 2026, demonstrating that Penang’s medical tourism market has reached significant scale and continues to play an important role in Malaysia’s medical tourism industry,” he said in a statement today.
Wong said Penang welcomed about 520,000 medical tourists in 2025, generating RM1.14 billion in revenue.
He said the figures covered hospitals only and excluded dental clinics, clinical laboratories, diagnostic centres, pharmacies and other related healthcare service providers.
“Therefore, when the medical tourism ecosystem is viewed in its entirety, the actual number of medical tourists served by Penang and the economic activity 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 the number of medical tourists and economic contribution, making it the country’s leading medical tourism destination.
He said price was one of Penang’s attractions, but not its only advantage, citing internationally accredited healthcare institutions, modern medical facilities and equipment, competitively priced, high-quality healthcare services, multilingual capabilities and a conducive communication environment.
“These strengths, coupled with the state government’s efforts to promote medical tourism and strengthen the supporting ecosystem and infrastructure, have helped establish Penang as one of Asia’s competitive medical tourism destinations,” he said.
Wong said Indonesia remained Penang’s largest source market, with direct flights currently available from Jakarta, Surabaya, Banda Aceh and Medan. A new direct route between Batam and Penang is scheduled to commence on Oct 18.
However, he said Penang needed to diversify its international source markets as neighbouring countries such as Vietnam and Thailand, as well as Pakistan, had also begun actively developing their medical tourism industries, intensifying regional competition.
Wong said the Arab region and Australia were two potential markets that Penang should explore further, citing its comprehensive Muslim-friendly tourism offerings, beaches, food, heritage sites and rich cultural heritage as attractions for medical tourists from these markets.
-- BERNAMA