Klook celebrates 9 years with media in Bangkok, announces near $5b annual gross bookings

Klook celebrates 9 years with media in Bangkok, announces near $5b annual gross bookings
By Zach Havard


Klook has recorded its strongest performance to date as the company celebrates its ninth birthday with a media event in Bangkok alongside USD $9 million (AUD $14m) in giveaway prizes. 

In the first year of full travel recovery in Asia since 2019, the leading platform in the market for experiences and travel services has seen as threefold increase in sales, achieving a total of USD $3 billion (AUD $4.7b) in annualised gross booking value, reinforcing its market leader status in first class experiences in the market. 

“2023 is proving to be a record year of ‘Travelsilience’, where travel and resilience intersect,” CEO and co-founder, Klook, Ethan Lin, said. 

Ethan Lin speaking to media in Bangkok. (Supplied)

“While we are in the early stages of travel recovery in Asia Pacific with persisting restraints in flight capacities, we’ve achieved outstanding growth.

“Travellers are showcasing their resilience, and our business has surged threefold, primarily driven by a remarkable increase in spending – soaring by over 30 per cent on our platform. 

“This growth is underpinned by the diverse variety of additional products and services we’ve introduced, ranging from rail and car rentals to staycations and even more unique experiences. 

“We anticipate that by 2024, as flight capacity fully recovers and travel becomes more affordable, it will unlock greater demand, further solidifying our position as the region’s leading experience first platform.” 

Experiences the new coveted currency for millennials and Gen Z 

In a recent study surveying APAC travellers across 12 origins, experiences emerged as the new currency for the next generation of travellers, with 85 per cent of millennials and Gen Zs willing to invest in more unique activities when planning travel. 

Klook is doubling down on its social media strategy, with the launch of ‘Klook Kreatrors’, an industry first influencer program which will target these demographics.

The morning session featured an interesting panel with two Klook Kreators discussing best practices on new social media platforms like TikTok. (Supplied) (L – R @jacquesjax, @mynameisfauzi, Marcus Yong). 

The company is redirecting almost all of its advertising budget from conventional media channels into digital content creators.

“Social media is not new, it is almost a norm. If you look outside today it’s exploding… it’s almost becoming second nature, no one asks now let’s Google it, they say let’s Instagram it, or let’s TikTok it,” VP global marketing, Klook, Marcus Yong, told media today in Bangkok.

Klook launches its biggest ever travel festival and AUD $14m of giveaways

As Klook’s birthday celebrations coincide with the approaching year-end travel season, it is proud to unveil its grandest travel festival to date. With over AUD $14m worth of deals and prizes up for grabs globally, the festival presents an array of unbeatable deals not to be missed from 8-22 September:

  • Deals and discounts from across 14 destinations including buy-1-get-1-free tickets to Everland Korea and Universal Studios Japan.
  • The ‘Joy Saver Voucher’ gives travellers the chance to pre purchase activities, transport or hotel bookings at rates of up to 80 per cent to be used at a later date.
  • The Great Travel Quiz Venture is Klook’s new travel trivia game that pits avid explorers around the world against each other. The top nine players will win an all expense paid trip to any destination in Asia.

Latest News

  • Cruise

P&O rescues Rotary volunteers after collapse of Air Vanuatu

P&O Cruises Australia has answered a plea for help from a group of young Australian Rotary volunteers, stranded in Vanuatu following the collapse of Air Vanuatu. The students, many of them teenagers from Albury, NSW, were volunteering for a youth project run by the Hive Rotary Club Australia when the airline abruptly cancelled all flights, […]

  • Destinations

Intrepid continues expansions with launch of first DMC in Jordan

Intrepid has increased its presence in the Middle East with the opening of its first destination management company in Jordan. Based in Amman, the local team will operate Intrepid’s range of nine experiential small group tours in Jordan from this summer, with a view to expanding the range for 2025 and beyond. Zina Bencheikh, managing […]

  • Appointments

Minor hotels appoints Puneet Dhawan to key Asia role

Global hotel owner and operator Minor Hotels has appointed Puneet Dhawan as head of Asia as the group plots its growth in Asia and India. From July, Dhawan will be responsible for the performance of all Minor Hotels properties in Asia, working in close collaboration with the Minor Hotels senior leadership team and will report […]

  • Appointments

Abercrombie & Kent and Crystal appoint Evon Ler to director of sales, Asia

Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group have announced that Evon Ler will join them in the new role of director of sales, Asia. She will work closely with Tony Archbold (VP, Sales, APAC, Crystal) and Susan Haberle (VP, Sales & Partnerships, APAC, A&K) with trade support across the region. Ler comes to the A&K family with more […]