Mohd Azlan (front row, sixth from left) with participants of Johor Health and Medical Tourism training session in Iskandar Puteri.
TOURISM Johor hopes the state can attract at least 100,000 international visitors by the end of this year for medical tourism.
Its deputy director Dr Mohd Azlan Ab Jalil said that apart from looking to get medical tourists from Indonesia, Johor was also considering Singapore, Vietnam, India, Japan and South Korea.
“Johor has always been popular with Indonesians, especially those from the Riau islands.
“It is easy for them to travel as they can just take a boat to get here.
“We have at least seven main private hospitals and over 40 medical facilities offering quality services,” he said after a training session by Johor Health and Medical Tourism in Iskandar Puteri.
Mohd Azlan said Tourism Johor would be adopting a new approach in its efforts to bring in more medical tourists.
“Normally, people will only come when they need medical attention but we are hoping to attract visitors to come here for medical check-ups and consultations.
“Tour packages will also be created to enable visitors to combine their trips with a holiday,” he added.
Johor now has a medical tourism hotel, where visitors will have doctors coming to them instead of the other way around.
“This is a pilot project and currently only one hotel is doing this in collaboration with a tour agency.
“The hotel is located near a medical park,” said Mohd Azlan.
