HONG KONG, May 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Klook, a world-leading travel activities and services booking platform, announced today the launch of a new home-based experiences initiative, Klook Home. The new initiative is the first phase of Klook's global multi-stage recovery approach and has been rolled out across 14 markets. The debut signals the company's commitment to kick-start recovery and tackle the new normal of travel, combating the impact of COVID-19 in the travel industry. There are almost 200 home-based experiences on Klook Home such as Do-It-Yourself (DIY) craft and cooking kits, online workshops, as well as free virtual tours.
Klook's multi-stage recovery efforts will be rolled out based on the unique needs and conditions of the markets, as countries across the globe are at varying stages of recovery. Starting with local experiences (home-based experiences; weekend things-to-do within the city; and domestic travel experiences), Klook aims to capture local demand first, followed by offerings based on intra-regional travel corridors, as global market conditions gradually improve and travel restrictions ease.
Seizing domestic demand first to pave the road ahead
Based on Klook's search data in April across APAC and Europe, about 60% of the total number of searches are related to domestic experiences, a signal that local interest for domestic experiences is on the rise.
Markets with stay-home regulations such as Singapore and the Philippines will be able to tap into home-based activities from Klook Home, while markets that have eased stay-home orders such as Taiwan and Hong Kong can leverage Klook's list of local activities within the city or other cities. Klook's domestic offerings encompass weekend city things-to-do such as local attractions, movie tickets, and underexplored off-the-beaten-path activities.
Most notably in markets where recovery is on the mend, about 80% of searches in markets such as Taiwan and Australia were purely domestic in April. Hong Kong observed a similar trend, with 70% of its total searches solely on domestic experiences. Klook hopes to leverage this momentum and increasing interest when it reignites its efforts to promote regional and global travel.
As travelers across the globe increasingly seek more hyper-local and unique experiences, the curation of local experiences for domestic travelers will help pave the way in providing a wider range of offerings for both intra-regional and overseas travelers in the future.
"COVID-19 has inevitably altered the future of travel and we must continue to be nimble to capture new opportunities," said Eric Gnock Fah, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of Klook. "Global travel may be some time away from now but we are confident to seize every opportunity, starting with local experiences. What we do now will define how we navigate the future of travel."
Expanding into local experiences based on successful pilots
Aligned with Klook's mission to empower travelers to discover, book, and experience the best things to do anywhere, anytime, the expansion into local experiences is a natural extension of Klook's existing overseas travel offerings, as locals also seek unique experiences in their own backyard.
Earlier in April 2020, Klook piloted a curated list of local, unique experiences ranging from outdoor tours and activities in South Korea and mainland China with encouraging success. Based on Klook's April booking data, the number of bookings in South Korea and mainland China increased by almost 2-fold and 4-fold month-on-month respectively.
In addition, Klook offers services and activities to help travelers better ease into the new normal of travel emerging from COVID-19. Even before COVID-19, adventure and outdoor activities bookings surged globally by 3x and this is expected to continue in 2020 as travelers seek the outdoors to avoid large crowds. Klook also launched its private car rental page earlier in May 2020. The launch of the dedicated page enables users who prefer to explore the open road in small groups to better access, browse, and book their own private cars.
Empowering local merchants to navigate and grow during this challenging period
It has always been Klook's long-term commitment to empower its merchants and to ensure that they continue to grow and succeed. Since the start of the pandemic, Klook has been at the forefront to support merchants.
In Taiwan, Klook partnered with the local governments of Tainan and Pingtung in March and May respectively to help traditionally offline merchants, enabling these offline operators to digitize their travel activities, monetize their offerings, and bring them on to a global stage.
In addition, the company rolled out Klook Partners Hub, a resource center to help merchants keep abreast of the latest updates from the travel industry and Klook's platform. It is also launching Klook Academy, an initiative to help merchants optimize their travel products and services better in the new normal of travel. Klook Academy will offer workshops and webinars touching on a wide range of topics that can help their business, ranging from marketing to operational excellence.
COVID-19 has exposed the technological challenges offline tour operators face and as a result, offline merchants are increasingly open to innovation. Merchants can leverage Klook's user-base and expertise to capture new opportunities, starting with local experiences and eventually, regional and global travel.
About Klook
Founded in 2014, Klook is a world-leading travel activities and services booking platform. Klook empowers travelers around the world to discover, book and experience the best things to do anywhere, anytime. It provides a seamless way for travelers to explore popular attractions, tours, local transportation, food and beverage, and unique experiences around the world on Klook's website and award-winning app (consecutive Best of Year awarded by Google Play and Apple App Store). Each day, Klook's travelers indulge in their wanderlust and spontaneity through over 100,000 offerings in more than 400 destinations.
With over 29 offices worldwide, Klook's services are available in 14 languages, supporting 41 currencies. Get inspired by Klook at www.klook.com, the company blog or @Klook.
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