AirAsia Indonesia and MHTC promote Penang’s medical tourism

AirAsia Indonesia has signed an MoU with Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) to jointly promote Penang as Malaysia’s top healthcare tourism destination.

MHTC will arrange medical tourism trips including doctor and hospital appointments, as well as airport pick-up services, for Indonesian passengers of AirAsia visiting Penang for medical treatment, according to TTGAsia.

AirAsia will provide exclusive flight discounts to MHTC customers, while AirAsia guests with prearranged appointments made through MHTC will also enjoy additional benefits at participating hospitals, including up to a 20% discount on medical check-ups and non-medical bills, as well as in selected F&B outlets by showing their boarding pass.

MHTC CEO Sherene Azli commented: “Penang receives around 60% of Malaysia’s healthcare travellers and in 2017 alone, the state’s healthcare travel industry generated half a billion ringgit (US$121 million) in revenue. Among the medical fields that Penang is known for include cardiology, orthopedics, oncology, neurology, in-vitro fertilisation, ophthalmology and dentistry. Initiatives as such will only increase the potential of the state to cater to more healthcare travellers from Indonesia who have discovered Penang to be their preferred destination for healthcare.”

AirAsia Indonesia currently serves Penang with twice-daily flights from Jakarta, thrice daily flights from Medan and thrice weekly flights from Surabaya.