JOHOR BARU: The growing presence of private medical facilities in Johor has been a key factor behind the steady growth in visitor numbers over the past few years, say tourism groups here.
They said the state has the potential to become one of the country’s top medical tourism destinations, especially given its proximity to Singapore and Indonesia.
Malaysian Tourist Guides Council president Jimmy Leong said there has been a growing number of visitors from South-East Asia, particularly Indonesia, coming to Johor for medical tourism.
“Previously, Melaka and Penang were known as popular states for medical tourism, but over the last few years, we can see Johor gaining traction in this sector.
“Among the reasons are the state government’s focus on promoting medical tourism and hospitals’ efforts to provide facilities and services tailored for medical tourists.
“This includes setting up medical one-stop centre hubs in malls and working with other groups to develop packages for medical tourists,” he said.
He added that there are still areas that need improvement for the state to reach its full potential.
“Indonesia is a huge market for the medical tourism sector, and many visitors come here via ferry from Batam.
“They usually disembark at the Stulang ferry terminal, and there have been complaints about delays in immigration clearance at the terminal.
“While there are other ferry terminals in Johor, Stulang remains one of the most popular and busiest, as it is also frequently used by Indonesian workers and Johoreans travelling to Batam,” he said.
Leong said more suitable packages should also be made available for visitors, including those from other South-East Asian countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Association of Hotels Johor Chapter chairman Ivan Teo said that apart from South-East Asia, Johor has also been seeing an increase in medical tourists from South Korea.
“The main markets for medical tourism in Johor are Indonesia and Singapore, but lately we are also seeing more visitors from South Korea.
“This is likely due to the growing population of Koreans in Johor and the availability of affordable, quality healthcare here,” he said.
He added that apart from hospitals and clinics, confinement centres are also seeing an increase in customers, particularly from Singapore.
