State to strengthen medical tourism sector
17 Jan 2024
JOHOR Medical Tourism Council (JMTC) will maximise its efforts to attract medical tourists from around the world this year, says Johor tourism, environment, heritage and culture committee chairman K. Raven Kumar.
He said the council, which was set up less than two years ago, would hold a meeting soon to outline strategies for 2024.
“We will consider the views of representatives from hospitals and other industry players,” he said.
He added that the recent move to give visitors from China and India 30-day visa-free travel would further boost the sector.
“A majority of our medical tourists are from Indonesia but we also want to promote our services to other Asian countries this year.
“We will reach out to other regions too in the near future,” said Raven.
He said the council was looking into visiting other countries to promote Johor as a medical tourism hub.
“Last year, we visited Batam in Indonesia for this purpose.
“For 2024, we will look into exploring other places,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tourism Johor director Sharil Nizam Abdul Rahim said the state’s excellent hospitals and accommodation options were among the reasons attracting medical tourists to the state.
“The cost of medical services in Johor is also significantly lower compared to the cost in other countries.
“On top of that, we have a wide variety of hotels and homestays that fit the budgets of tourists from all walks of life.
“It is also easy for them to travel around the state with the availability of public transport and ehailing services,” he said.
Source: The Star
