We’re halfway to becoming a household brand for travel and experiences in Asia. But in 10 to 20 years, we will become a household brand for global travelers. And I think it's particularly meaningful for most of our colleagues who are based in Asia. It would be an achievement for a brand founded in Asia to appear on the global stage. - Eric Gnock Fah, COO and co-founder of Klook
Travel is back and we sure hope you’ve succumbed to the bite of the travel bug! Whether it’s to revisit a past favorite destination or a brand new one after a few years’ hiatus, surely you feel that buzz of excitement to build your travel itinerary after buying your international flight tickets?
Here’s where we come to the rescue. On the Klook app alone, travelers can research top hotspots of a destination, book authentic experiences at the best prices, and even get assistance for booking inquiries.
Starting out with just a website over 8 years ago, how have we evolved to become an app that comprises a wide array of travel essentials? What’s the secret to our current leading presence in the Asia Pacific region in under a decade?
Read 9 Biggest Milestones from 9 Years of Klook
We offer more than just experiences
Take a quick glimpse of our homepage, and you will see we categorize our products by things to do, places to stay, transport, and others.
Our extensive things-to-do range covers various activities, from amusement parks and art exhibitions to paragliding experiences and live concerts. In 2022, we became an official ticketing partner for major events like the Hong Kong Sevens (a rugby sevens tournament held annually in Hong Kong) and Avatar: The Experience at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. To celebrate Hong Kong’s ease of restrictions, we also partnered with MOOV - Hong Kong’s largest paid digital music service, on a live concert for the local audience.
Klook Presents MOOV Live RubberBand x Charmaine Fong in December 2022
While honing our strengths in things-to-do, we are not forgetting about the importance of transportation. Not just nationally-operated rails like the popular Shinkansen (bullet trains run by Japan Railways) or Taiwan High-Speed Rail that promises scenic views, but we also saw the rise of cross-country road trips which led to our inception of car rental services. Now, we have a growing number of travelers booking car rental services in Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, and Australia.
When staycations came into demand during the pandemic (which our Hong Kong team saved the pandemic with), we thought outside the box with this demand. Akin to a set meal that comes with a dessert and a beverage, we introduced various bundle packages for accommodations. Bundling a hotel stay with a train pass, customers have two things covered at once, making their itinerary planning a breeze.
While experiences are what we're mostly known for, we say the sky’s the limit! Insurance is a budding business line we see a high potential in. With the surge in demand for travel insurance, we partnered with renowned insurance companies in launching insurance plans to cover travelers worldwide. Travelers need not scour the internet to find the best insurance plans for themselves when they have Klook. Convenience guaranteed!
Take a deep dive into our Insurance Services with Priscilla
We joined forces with AXA Hong Kong & Macau to launch Klook Travel Care
To stay on top, and even ahead, of the rapid changes in the industry, we take ownership by working in an agile manner. But all of this isn’t possible without – you guessed it – teamwork!
Just as how travelers don’t build their travel agenda in silos, we work synergistically across teams and geographies to unlock more opportunities to meet customer demand.
Distance doesn’t separate us; it makes us stronger
Sure, doing long-distance with colleagues isn’t always easy. But this is how our collective focus to ‘push boundaries’ shines.
Take our central and local Marketing teams’ collaboration in campaign planning in 2022 for instance. The two major campaigns that were planned at the turn of travel recovery in Asia were the multi-market mega campaign ‘Klook Travel Fest’ – a physical fair that unites all travelers to discover amazing deals while having first-hand experience with our Klookers’ warm hospitality, and ‘KonnichiWOW campaign’ – a multi-market marketing campaign that promotes inbound tourism in Japan with exclusive deals.
Say ‘hi’ to our friendly Klookers at the Klook Travel Fest in Singapore! A few members of the central Marketing team flew over to help out at this massive event.
With our dear customers in mind, we took a closer look at our survey data to see what destinations were highly coveted. It turned out that our users had been anticipating Japan’s border reopening, especially eyeing amusement parks like Super Nintendo World, Ghibli Park, etc. Our team in Japan then got in touch with local merchants for attractive campaign deals to welcome travelers back to the island country. And where did these deals go? Klook Travel Fest and KonnichiWOW campaign of course!
Not just that, we tapped into our Central team’s marketing muscles to capture experiences unique to Japan but with global appeal. Think Arashiyama Bamboo Grove in Kyoto, Nabemono (Japanese hotpot), Shinto temples… All of these come to life in our promotional content. Anyone can travel vicariously through us as they add more things-to-do to their bucket lists!
Watch us touring around Japan
We spread the joy of travel & leisure far and wide
Having a global footprint is important. But as we expand our coverage across the globe (including in underrated countries like Bhutan and Tanzania), we also make sure our domestic offerings are relevant to our local customers. Here’s where our Business Development folks come in. They connect and maintain rapport with local merchants to offer what’s best suited to the domestic market.
Josefina, our Business Development Manager (EU) had a blast at the Swiss Travel Mart Snow Edition 2023 discussing endless tourism opportunities in Switzerland.
“To stay ahead and spot up-and-coming merchants in the local market, I make sure to take at least one day per month to go around the city I look after, visit a local museum or take a tour. I pay close attention to new activities advertised on the streets as I walk around. It's also important to maintain good relationships with existing merchants and meet with them face-to-face as much as possible. They always keep us informed of the latest trends and tours,” explained Josefina Larravide, Business Development Manager of the Europe market.
Through close partnerships like this, merchants are leveraging our ever-expanding customer base and tech features to deliver unique experiences to the locals.
Our EMEA team awarded merchants with a Trusted Partner certificate as a token of appreciation for our long-term partnership. Pictured here is Xclusive Yachts in Dubai, our partner for 5 years as of 2022.
Evolving for the world stage: Becoming more than just a travel app
Our ultimate goal is to be the one-stop shop for all things travel and experiences. To make this happen, we're not just ramping up our efforts; we're turbocharging them! All in the spirit of delivering a world of joy to travelers worldwide.
We’re experiencing hyper-growth now and riding on this growth momentum to provide the best experiences to our customers, making sure that every single user we have can travel anywhere in the world seamlessly. So as a user, please keep your feedback coming in as we create more moments of joy for you. – Ethan Lin, CEO and co-founder of Klook
Who knows? One day, travelers – including you – might verbify our brand and say, “I’m going to Klook for things to do in Thailand.” We’re excited to see where our future takes us!
Are you in for this exhilarating ride?
I’m in! Show me the roles
Posted by Klook Careers
