PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
SELANGOR STRENGTHENING MEDICAL TOURISM SEGMENTATION AT MALAYSIA HEALTHCARE EXPO (MHX) 2022
The Third Time Participation Shows Tourism Selangor’s High Commitment towards Medical Tourism Segmentation and Empowerment of the
“Splendid Selangor, Take Me Anywhere!” campaign
MEDAN, 22 September 2022 – The Selangor State Government through the Official Tourism Promotion Agency, Tourism Selangor will once again continue participating in the Malaysia Healthcare EXPO (MHX) 2022 located at the Centre Point Shopping Mall, Medan starting from 22- 25 September 2022.
MHX 2022 by the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) is organised for the second time this year after its organisation earlier this year in Jakarta. The EXPO is now back by bringing together various parties involving hospitals, health centres and ambulatory care in Malaysia to create awareness and exposure to the healthcare services available in the country, especially in the State of Selangor.
The continuation of the EXPO this time demonstrates the seriousness of the MHTC and Tourism Selangor in highlighting the advantages of medical tourism as a tourism segmentation that plays a significant role in the region, especially in the State of Selangor.
The delegation from the State of Selangor was led by Mr. Azrul Shah Mohamad, the Chief Executive Officer of Tourism Selangor, together with the representatives from MSU Medical Centre, ReGen Rehab Hospital and Dental Republik which focused on bariatric treatment, rehabilitation and dentistry.
According to Mr. Azrul Shah, “I am confident that the EXPO this time will be able to attract the interest of the public, especially tourism enthusiasts, as well as the attraction towards the authenticity and uniqueness of the archipelago which is our shared pride. The Malaysian government has recently announced the SOPs relaxation for travellers entering Malaysia since 1st August in total, including medical tourism, where tourists from the Republic of Indonesia can once again enjoy the uniqueness of travelling experience in Selangor.”
“The state of Selangor has 46 hospitals and health centres equipped with advanced and modern medical equipment, as well as highly qualified medical experts, to provide a fulfilling medical tourism experience, with a focus on excellent service and friendly hospitality to medical tourists,” added Mr. Azrul Shah.
During their stay in Jakarta, the delegation from the State of Selangor was involved in meeting sessions with media partners in Indonesia, agencies and stakeholders such as Tourism Malaysia Medan, the Malaysian Embassy, ASITA Tourism Agency and Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) in the Republic of Indonesia. The Selangor State Government through Tourism Selangor exhibits a high focus on mastering the entire segmentation of tourism to achieve the vision of putting the State of Selangor on the world map and increasing the State’s profile among domestic and international tourists.
The Republic of Indonesia is the Best Destination to Develop the Market for Medical Tourism
The middle and high-income groups in Indonesia have seen positive growth where the demand for better and higher quality products and services has also shown an increase in the Republic. These trends and choices have contributed to the increased demand in countries in the Southeast Asian region, including Malaysia.
This is most likely contributed by Malaysia’s location that is close to Indonesia, an efficient bilateral communication network, as well as local culture and almost the same currency exchange. The state of Selangor is the gateway to Malaysia with two airports; Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), KLIA2, and Cruise Terminal, Port Klang for entry via cruise ship.
Malaysia is a familiar destination for medical tourism with recognition as the top country for Health Tourism based on volume in 2018 as recorded by the International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ), as well as the “Cluster of the Year” award for Health Tourism and Medicine from 2017 to 2022 at the IMTJ award.
The number of medical tourists to Malaysia also continues to increase from year to year. In 2019 before the pandemic, a total of 1.3 million medical tourists sought treatment in Malaysia. From this number, 60 percent are tourists from Indonesia, further topping the top 3 states for the number of medical tourism tourists arriving in the State of Selangor since 2015. This has contributed to the increase in the medical tourism revenue of the State of Selangor from RM 175 million in 2017 to RM 285 million in 2019.
MHX 2022 is the best platform to provide exposure to the public and advertise the uniqueness of the State of Selangor to media representatives and tourists located in the Republic of Indonesia. This is seen as having the potential to increase the branding of the State of Selangor as a superior medical tourism destination in the Southeast Asian region, coinciding with the “Splendid Selangor, Take Me Anywhere!” Campaign which is being actively mobilized by Tourism Selangor, especially on social media sites.
In line with the relief of the international tourism since 1st August, Tourism Selangor welcomes Indonesian tourists to the state, not only for medical tourism but also to explore interesting tourist destinations and places around the state.
For more information about the tourism industry in the State of Selangor; visit www.selangor.travel, Tourism Selangor’s informative and comprehensive official website, or follow Tourism Selangor’s updates on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and our YouTube. channels.
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