June 5, 2026 | 07:11 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Malaysia Fair 2026 officially opened at Gandaria City in South Jakarta on Thursday, June 4, showcasing a diverse range of premier healthcare services, tourist destinations, and educational opportunities in an exhibition running until June 7, 2026.Organized by the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) in collaboration with Tourism Malaysia, the exhibition was inaugurated by Farzamie Sarkawi, Chargé d'Affaires of Malaysia to Indonesia; Mohd Amirul Rizal Abdul Rahim, Director General of Tourism Malaysia; and Suriaghandi Suppiah, Chief Executive Officer of MHTC. The opening ceremony was further enlivened by the presence of MHTC Brand Ambassador, Dato' Sri Siti Nurhaliza.The Malaysia Fair 2026 aligns with the promotion of two national Malaysian campaigns: the Malaysia Year of Medical Tourism 2026 (MYMT2026), themed "Healing Meets Hospitality," and Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026), themed "Surreal Experiences." Through this exhibition, Malaysia introduces its integrated medical tourism ecosystem while promoting its tourism, education, and cultural sectors to the Indonesian public.MHTC CEO Suriaghandi Suppiah noted that Indonesia remains the single largest market for Malaysia's medical tourism industry. Throughout 2025, Indonesian patrons contributed approximately RM2.2 billion to Malaysia's medical tourism revenue, marking a 23 percent increase compared to the previous year. The number of Indonesian medical tourists seeking treatment in Malaysia also surpassed 970,000."Through this exhibition, we want to present Malaysia's trusted healthcare services to the Indonesian public while strengthening Malaysia's position as the destination of choice for international-quality healthcare, empathetic service, and a comprehensive patient experience," Suriaghandi stated.In addition to healthcare services, the expo features various cultural and lifestyle attractions, including traditional dance performances, a showcase by Malaysia's Teh Tarik King, and interactive, family-friendly activities. Tourism Malaysia is also leveraging the event to introduce its Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign to the Indonesian market.Director General of Tourism Malaysia, Mohd Amirul Rizal Abdul Rahim, emphasized that Indonesia represents one of Malaysia's most critical tourism markets. Currently, more than 610 direct flights weekly connect various Indonesian cities with major destinations across Malaysia. Furthermore, a direct Jakarta-Kota Bharu route is scheduled to commence operations on June 16, 2026.Twenty leading Malaysian hospitals are participating in the expo, including Island Hospital Penang, Institut Jantung Negara, Mahkota Medical Centre, and Subang Jaya Medical Centre. Visitors can also consult directly with several Malaysian higher education institutions, such as Taylor's University, UCSI University, INTI International University, Todak Academy, and MILA University.To round out the visitor experience, Malaysia Fair 2026 features seven travel agents offering an array of tailored tour packages to Malaysia. The exhibition is further supported by Malaysia Airlines as the official airline partner, alongside BCA, which is providing various transactional promotions and cashback options throughout the event.Through multi-sector collaboration spanning healthcare, tourism, education, and culinary arts, Malaysia Fair 2026 is expected to further fortify bilateral relations between Indonesia and Malaysia while driving a steady increase in Indonesian tourist and patient arrivals to Malaysia.Read: Jakarta Car Free Day Attracts Singapore, Malaysia Tourists, Says GovernorClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
