The Government’s decision to extend the Visit Malaysia campaign into 2027, backed by a RM935 million allocation for tourism and culture under Budget 2027, gives the industry room to improve the travel experience around Malaysia’s healthcare hubs.
Medical tourism is already a significant part of that picture: Penang’s hospitals generated RM601.8 million in medical tourism revenue in the first half of 2026, according to Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) data cited by the state government. Traveloka sees an opportunity for closer coordination between healthcare providers, accommodation and transport.
Budget 2026 allocated RM20 million to strengthen MHTC’s health tourism programs. This sits within a wider tourism economy: Malaysia’s tourism industries generated RM323 billion in value added in 2025, equivalent to 15.9% of GDP, according to DOSM.
Traveloka platform data points to a concentration of Indonesia-based accommodation bookings in selected hotel clusters in Melaka and Penang. In Melaka, these clusters account for 57% of transactions and an even larger share of overall spend.
Penang shows a similar pattern on a smaller scale, with 18% of transactions and spend again outpacing that share. Room nights in these clusters have also grown year-on-year, pointing to steady rather than seasonal demand.
The RM935 million allocated for tourism and culture under Budget 2027 is an opportunity to bring medical travellers into the wider tourism push.
One possibility is to make accommodation and transport easier to plan around healthcare visits, with clearer information on location, accessibility and booking flexibility for patients and accompanying family members.
