PETRA JAYA: Sarawak received 33,400 foreign patients in the first nine months of the year, generating RM42.2 million in medical tourism receipts.
The state’s Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the majority of the visitors were from Jakarta and Pontianak, Indonesia.
Due to the high currency exchange rate of the Singapore dollar, he said, most Indonesian patients preferred to come to Sarawak for medical treatment.
Last year, Karim said, the state recorded 44,700 medical tourists, with receipts of RM60.7 million.
He said this during the winding up speech for his ministry at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly sitting, here, today.
He said his ministry had established a Medical Tourism Coordination Committee to collaborate with hospitals, the authorities and the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) to ensure the success of Sarawak’s medical tourism industry.
He said MHTC would roll out an e-Visa to facilitate the entry of medical visitors in the first quarter of next year.
He said the number of arrivals from January to September this year had fallen by about 13 per cent, compared with the same period last year.
“We recorded 3.23 million visitors for the first nine months and are expecting the figure to reach 4.5 million by the end of the year and expect to achieve RM8.05 billion in tourism receipts,” he said.
“With the launch of Visit Sarawak Campaign 2019, we aim to position Sarawak as a premier tourism destination and expect to receive five million visitors next year.”
Meanwhile, five projects amounting to RM23 million, funded by the Federal Government, under the 11th Malaysian Plan have been cancelled.
The projects are Santubong National Park Ecotourism Facilties, Baram Waterfront, Belaga Waterfront as well as upgrading of Panchor Hotspring in Serian and tourism facilities at Gunung Serembu in Bau.