01-Feb-17 Malaysia is a popular destination for tourists from the Middle East, with nearly 200,000 arriving in 2016. The country is a key destination for medical tourism. In neighboring Thailand, tourism officials said the US ban could lift visitor numbers. "The Middle East is a big market for us, especially in the medical tourism sector," said Tourism Authority Governor Yuthasak Supasorn. [image: Reuters]

01-Feb-17 Medical tourists are coming to Malaysia, lured by high-quality yet affordable healthcare and the climate. “It’s more lucrative than conventional tourism because healthcare travellers tend to stay longer,” MATTA vice-president S. Jayakumar said. The country welcomed about 850,000 medical tourists in 2015 with revenue of MYR900 mn (USD203 mn) compared with MYR777 mn (USD175 mn) in 2014. [image: The Star]

01-Feb-17 The Middle East region, which includes some countries that are a target of Trump's ban, is the top source of patients who travel to the US for medical care. The travel ban could prompt international patients to skip the US and take their dollars elsewhere, such as to Germany or Thailand. [image: Wikimedia Commons]

Interested in China outbound medical tourism opportunities? Join the new LinkedIn group China International Medical Travel for networking and market insights. China's outbound healthcare travel and treatment was already worth USD9.7 bn in 2015, with double-digit growth forecast. 

30-Jan-17 Islamic Azad University is planning to host health tourists at its 11 hospitals across the country. “Medical tourism is the most profitable and stable branch of tourism in Iran,” said Dr Seyyed Ali Abtahi, the university’s deputy for medical sciences. People from Muslim countries are attracted to Iran. [image: Financial Tribune]