MEDICAL and wellness development is one of the sectors in the tourism industry acknowledged by the Ministry of Tourism , Arts and Culture Malaysia ( MOTAC ) for its potential . It is included as the country ’ s tourism augmentation strategy in the National Tourism Policy 2020-2030 . The sector is also one of the areas covered in the Islamic Tourism Centre ( ITC ) ‘ s Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality Assurance and Recognition
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( MFAR ), a programme that recognises Muslim-friendly products and services in the tourism and hospitality space .
Under the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme ( MTCP ), ITC concluded the “ Developing and Managing Muslim-Friendly Healthcare and Wellness Tourism Destinations on Products ” training course on Oct 18 , 2023 .
The training programme , coordinated by ITC and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Malaysia ( MFA ), saw the participation of 14 government officials
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in charge of developing Muslim-friendly healthcare and wellness tourism in their home countries .
The training programme was attended by representatives from 10 developing nations , including Azerbaijan , Bangladesh , Cambodia , Maldives , Nepal , Pakistan , the Philippines , Tajikistan , Thailand , and Timor-Leste , from Oct 9 to 18 , 2023 .
ITC is honoured to be trusted to showcase some of Malaysia ’ s best Muslim-friendly healthcare and wellness
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practices to the participants through sharing sessions with local experts , lecture classes and site visits . They were also allowed to network with industry practitioners from Destination Management Offices ( DMOs ), hospitals , resorts , spa and wellness centres , among others , in Klang Valley and Perak , including Prince Court Medical Centre , The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat and Teratak Spa . — R & R |
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“ The Muslim tourist market is very huge worldwide . We have to grab this opportunity . The training programme with ITC is very educational . I am thankful to be part of this programme because we need support for more collaborations to promote Muslim-friendly tourism .” – Marilou Ampuan , Founder , Mindanao Islamic Chamber of
Commerce , Philippines
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“ As a tourism agency , we are interested in developing different tourism segments in our country . Nowadays , wellness and health tourism are very famous around the globe , and we have the potential to address this segment . We learned from this programme that wellness combines many different aspects of life . Developing a Muslim-friendly environment in wellness establishments will give good opportunities for businesses .” – Azar Orujoy , Senior Consultant , State Tourism Agency , Azerbaijan |
“ Thailand is a Buddhist country . There is an opportunity for Thailand to improve our Muslimfriendly wellness tourism . This programme with ITC changed my perspective about Muslimfriendly wellness tourism . To develop this tourism product , Thai people must understand some issues within this segment . I must bring what I ’ ve learned here to develop this segment back in my country . “
– Prapinya Siripaiboon , Tourism Promotion Officer , Tourism
Authority of Thailand , Thailand
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“ Wellness tourism is happening nowadays because people are more aware of their health and lifestyle . Naturally , Nepal is also interested in participating on the global stage . Malaysia has a very sophisticated healthcare and wellness tourism sector . We got to learn something from here , and we can implement it in Nepal .”
– Jayshakti Sarraf , Officer , Nepal Tourism Board , Nepal
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