Sarawak medical tourism revenue of RM109.9 million

KUCHING, 12 Oct: Sarawak recorded revenue of RM109.9 million from health tourism for the first half of this year, up 21 percent from RM90.6 million in the same period last year.

Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industries and Performing Arts Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the increase shows the potential of the state's growing medical tourism industry and is able to contribute to Sarawak's economic growth.

"This is a very exciting development. The figures reflect the increased demand for healthcare services in Sarawak as well as the potential of medical tourism to contribute more significantly to the state's economic development", he said.

He said this through the text of a speech read by his Deputy Minister, Dato Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew at the BGMT 2026 Launch Meeting at Borneo Kuching Convention Centre (BCCK) today.

In the same period, the number of health tourists visiting Sarawak also increased by four per cent to 48,480 people compared with 46,793 in the first half of 2025.

According to Abdul Karim, the higher increase in outcomes compared with the growth of health tourism shows the importance of efforts to improve the value of healthcare services as well as the experience of patients receiving treatment in the state.

"Of course, our ambitions should not be measured by numbers alone. Rather, success must also be judged through the quality of care provided, confidence built among patients and cooperation created across healthcare, tourism, hospitality, communications and technology sectors", he said.

For the past year, Sarawak's medical tourism sector recorded revenue of RM203.2 million with an attendance of 104,323 health tourists, showing a significant increase over the previous year.

The growth trend was also seen in 2024 when Sarawak earned RM160.2 million through 76,796 health tourist visits.

The growth shows the potential of Sarawak to further strengthen its position as a medical tourism destination, supported by quality healthcare services and cooperation between the health, tourism, hospitality, transport and technology sectors.