More Filipinos wanted to travel abroad, particularly to countries that do not require a visa, leading travel and experiences platform, Klook said on Tuesday.

Based on the Klook Travel Pulse, a company-led study that analyzes consumer travel trends based on data gathered from the app and website usage, Klook users in the Philippines are inclined towards international travel to neighboring countries like Singapore, Japan, and most especially Hong Kong due to proximity and the waiving of visa requirements.

In fact, the month-on-month 230 percent growth for Klook in relation to Hong Kong bookings shows a strong recovery since the country reopened for tourism at from December 2022 to January 2023 and continues with double-digit growth for February and March.

For outbound travelers from the Philippines, the study showed that Filipinos prefer longer travel durations with six to nine days (44 percent) being the most popular, followed by three to five days (40 percent), then 10 or more days (38 percent).

Most of the bookings are for tours of theme parks, watersports and hotels.

Domestic travel

Despite this, Klook is also seeing continued growth in local domestic travel and experiences with the most popular destinations being Boracay, Manila, Tagaytay, Cebu, Clark and Subic.

Michelle Ho, General Manager for Klook Philippines and Thailand, noted that these promising numbers are, in a large part, propelled by the digitalization of the tourism industry.

“Travel has become even more accessible to consumers now that more people are becoming digital-savvy, and we believe this digital transformation is contributing greatly to the acceleration of tourism growth in the region,” Ho shared.

Easy booking

What Kook does is help connect local tour operators to travelers making discoverability of activities and booking easier and hassle-free.

Klook has digitized operations for partners in various island destinations, offering better booking experiences and payment solutions for customers.