Malaysia Tries to Parlay Appeal to Muslim Visitors into Medical Tourism Push

July 31, 2014

(Reuters) – Muslim tourists have long chosen Malaysia, its beaches and its malls as a holiday destination thanks to cultural affinity. Now the Southeast Asian country, where Muslims make up about 60 percent of the population, wants to parlay its visitor dividend into a bid to overtake its neighbors for the world’s medical tourism crown. It seeks to appeal to less affluent patients with reasonably priced treatments. But figures show it has some ground to make up on Thailand and Singapore in boosting its share of an industry that generates $38 billion to $55 billion annually.