Penang Medical Tourism Arrivals Jump 26% to More Than 527,000
Foreign patient revenue in the Malaysian state reached RM1.14 billion in 2025 as Penang expanded airline partnerships, payment options and promotion in key Asian markets.
Penang strengthened its position as one of Southeast Asia’s leading medical tourism hubs after recording a sharp increase in international patient arrivals during 2025.
Private hospitals participating in the Penang Centre of Medical Tourism treated 527,176 foreign patients during the year. This represented an increase of 25.94% from the 418,608 international patients recorded in 2024.
Medical tourism revenue grew at a similar rate. Penang generated approximately RM1.136 billion from foreign patients in 2025, up 26.6% from RM898.07 million the previous year. The figures cover 16 participating private hospitals in the state.
Airline Partnerships Support Patient Growth
Penang is combining hospital promotion with initiatives designed to make healthcare travel easier and more affordable.
One of these initiatives is the Boarding Pass Privileges programme developed in cooperation with airlines including AirAsia. International passengers who present a foreign passport and an eligible boarding pass can receive a 15% discount on selected health-screening packages.
The programme began on October 1, 2025, and is scheduled to continue until December 31, 2026.
Authorities are also working to improve direct air connectivity with major Indonesian cities, including Medan, Aceh, Jakarta and Surabaya. Indonesia remains one of Penang’s most important medical tourism source markets.
Patients Can Pay in Their Home Currency
Payment accessibility is another part of Penang’s medical tourism strategy.
Indonesian patients can use the Quick Response Indonesian Standard, or QRIS, to make payments in Indonesian rupiah. The system allows patients to see the cost directly in their home currency and may offer lower foreign-exchange costs than conventional card payments.
This approach removes one of the smaller but significant points of friction in the international patient journey: uncertainty surrounding exchange rates, card charges and final treatment costs.
Penang Expands International Promotion
The state is increasing its medical tourism marketing in China, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan and Myanmar. Promotional activity is being coordinated with organisations including Tourism Malaysia, the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council and Penang Global Tourism.
The growth comes as Malaysia promotes both Visit Malaysia 2026 and the Malaysia Year of Medical Tourism 2026.
Penang’s results demonstrate that medical tourism growth depends on more than hospital quality or competitive treatment prices. Airline access, simple payment systems, coordinated destination marketing and patient-focused packages can all influence where international patients decide to receive treatment.
With more than half a million foreign patients treated in a single year, Penang is becoming an increasingly important case study for destinations seeking to build a sustainable medical tourism ecosystem.
