‘9 in 10 Pinoys traveling locally in 2024’

March 14, 2024 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines —  At least nine in 10 Filipinos plan to travel to local destinations this year, and are expected to spend as much as P30,000 for every trip, according to booking platform Klook.

Based on Klook’s Travel Pulse for 2024, Filipinos are no longer holding back their travel itch as most of them look to go places near and far, from as close as Tagaytay to as distant as Japan.

The survey showed that 92 percent of Filipinos are making plans to travel domestically in 2024, listing Tagaytay, Baguio, Batangas, Boracay and Palawan as their prospects.

Likewise, Filipinos set aside a minimum of P15,000 to as high as P30,000 for these local travels that usually last at least four days. In terms of preparation time, the survey said nearly half of the respondents book their flights and hotels as far as six months before the trip.

Meanwhile, the study found that three in four Filipinos may go on an international trip this year. In Klook, their interests include Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and Thailand, as these economies offer opportunities for experiences, shopping and sightseeing.

Klook said Filipinos tend to spend as much as P50,000 for their foreign travels, and they secure their flights and hotels as early as six months prior to the trip.

Further, Klook said millennials get their travel information mostly from Facebook, while Gen Zs turn to TikTok when studying the tourism landscape.

As an app, Klook grew its revenue in the Philippines four times in 2023 from 2022, driven by the recovery of travel demand from Filipinos.

In terms of average spending, Filipinos increased the size of their Klook baskets by 21 percent, reflecting their renewed confidence to go on trips again. They used the app mainly to book their passes to Disneyland in Hong Kong and Tokyo and to Universal Studios in Osaka and Singapore.

They also maximized Klook to purchase their transit cards ahead of time, such as the Japan Rail Pass. Domestically, Klook was used primarily to secure entry into the Manila Ocean Park.

Klook also offered an all-in-one package for Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour in Singapore, and the app managed to sell 60,000 bundles, of which 10 percent were taken by Filipinos.

Klook, founded in 2014, serves as one of the leading travel apps in Asia, providing users with an avenue to book their experiences and needs for a trip ahead of time.