Malaysia for Medical Tourism

Abstract

Currently, medical tourism in Malaysia is going through an emergent phase. With the establishment of Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) and its function to promote Malaysia as a medical tourism hub in South East Asia, the condition seems very much promising. Although, medical tourist arrival is on the rise, there are still lacking empirical studies toward the factors that influence potential tourists to choose Malaysia as their medical tourism destination. This issue is worth to study due to the potential of medical tourism to be a competitive advantage of Malaysia’s tourism industry. This study examines factors which could determine prospective medical tourists’ intentions to choose Malaysia as a destination for medical purpose. To address this objective, the study collects data from personal interviews of prospective medical tourists. After going through a series of analyses, the study finds that accessibility to destination and quality of care significantly predict prospective tourists’ intentions to visit Malaysia for medical purpose. The result of this study provided the concern of the respondents for this type of tourism in Malaysia which can be used for both government authority and private enterprises to formulate appropriate strategies to grasp this market effectively.