Klook expects resurgent demand for travel

Travel app Klook expects bookings for activities, stays and trips to grow by more than a fourth in 2023 on the resurgent demand for rest and recreation.

Klook general manager for Philippines and Thailand Michelle Ho said tourism demand in the Philippines is headed for recovery this year, as travelers seek to complete their travel plans despite the economic challenges.

In particular, Klook expects travel bookings to increase this year due to the reopening of domestic and especially international destinations.

For domestic, Ho said Klook noticed an upward trend in bookings for activities in Manila Ocean Park, Boracay and Sky Ranch Tagaytay.

For international, Klook anticipates Filipinos to flock to East Asian hotspots like Hong Kong and Japan, as well as Singapore.

On a quarterly basis, bookings for Boracay activities via Klook grew by 75 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022, with 70 percent of them coming from domestic guests.

Likewise, Manila Ocean Park saw its sales double in the October to December period due to its availability in Klook.

Ho also said that Sky Ranch Tagaytay sold more than 50,000 tickets in 2022 due to its presence in the Hong Kong-based travel app.

“We are cognizant of the contributions that we’re able to make in helping grow domestic tourism given our platform and user base,” Ho said.

“A lot of locals – both individuals and merchants – rely on tourism for their livelihood and we are eager to help domestic travelers discover more sources of joy in the country and businesses make their products and services more accessible to our users,” she said.

In a survey by Klook, Ho said 87 percent of Filipinos are planning to travel in 2023 and that 17 percent of them have booked a trip for the holidays. About 44 percent of the respondents said they prefer to stay between six and nine days in the places they go.

On the foreign end, Klook reported growing interest from Filipinos to head to Japan, Singapore and Thailand.

Klook also posted a 230-percent jump in bookings for Hong Kong activities upon its decision to reopen to leisure travel and to remove its mask mandate.

Klook offers over 515,000 experiences handled by 17,000 service providers in 1,500 destinations that can be booked through its digital platform.

In the Philippines, Klook works with nearly 300 merchants for 600 activities in 21 cities across the archipelago and is gearing up to expand its portfolio to meet the improving demand.