Asia’s leading platform for experiences and travel services, Klook, revealed that in its annual Travel Pulse survey, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Thailand were emerging in popularity amongst Filipinos as international destinations besides the usual hotspots like Japan, South Korea and Singapore;
2025 Travel Pulse looked into the different travel behaviors and preferences of Filipinos in the past year, specifically Millennials and Gen Zs.
“Overall, we’ve seen Filipinos take more chances on travelling in 2024 and definitely aren’t slowing down in 2025. It’s even reached the extent that Millennials and Gen Zs perceive it to be a therapeutic tool,” Michelle Ho, General Manager of Klook Philippines shared.
From being considered a love language last year, to being a form of therapy today, Ho said that the study goes to show that “travel continues to evolve in different ways to serve each individual’s unique definition of joy.”
Destinations and activities
The survey found that 98.5 percent of Filipino respondents have plans to travel domestically as well as nearby locations in the next year, while more than half shared that they plan to travel internationally.
Klook noted that besides the usual international hotspots like Japan, South Korea and Singapore; Vietnam, Taiwan, and Thailand were emerging in popularity amongst Filipinos.
Planning ahead is a key part of the Filipino travels as they commonly booked 1-3 months ahead for flights, and accommodations.
Klook also found that only 27 percent of respondents book experiences in-destination.
Overall, with 65 percent of respondents booking bundles, Filipinos were found to prefer these the most as compared to the regional average.
Adventurous tours
Once at their destination, the Klook survey showed that 63 percent of Filipinos try out adventurous tours, digital detox, wellness, and meditation retreats, and aligned with the spirit of trying out new things, 57 percent take on hidden gem adventures, and 54 percent try out workshops and classes that pique their interest.
The top consideration Filipinos made when booking their travels revolved around vacationing during the perfect weather (37.3 percent answered).
Scheduling around work and school vacations were ranked of equal importance (29.9 percent) followed by the affordability of the travel options available to them (15.3 percent).
Social media’s role
Social media plays a significant role in travel inspiration as 89 percent of Filipinos choose to visit a destination because it was popular on social media.
This was evident to the platform following a 157 percent increase in revenue for Vietnam tourism services and products made on Klook after Klook Kreators started posting about their travels to Vietnam.
On the topic of Klook’s community of Kreators, the program is set to continue making an impact as Kreator-generated sales have increased by 20 percent in Q1 2025 versus Q4 2024.
Quick content such as photos (67 percent) and short-form videos (62 percent) are considered the go-to travel guides for Pinoys followed by Long-form videos (48 percent) and in-depth blog posts (45 percent) that dive deeper into destination.
Making an impact
“Based on our study, social media has definitely made an impact on the way Filipinos plan their travels, and the motivations that create their itineraries. It’s become a means of digitalization that drives a more intense desire to travel and explore what’s out there.” Ho shared.
While TikTok is only the third most popular application among respondents, the study shows that compared to the regional average, Filipinos are more than two times more likely to engage with TikTok (69 percent) for travel inspiration.
The rankings haven’t changed much as Facebook remains to lead the list (84 percent), followed by Youtube (73 percent), and Instagram places last (63 percent).
A form of therapy
All Filipino respondents agreed that travel is an effective way to manage stress and their well-being, thus it is considered a “form of therapy”.
Klook found that 78.4 percent use travel as a getaway for a mental break with 31.6 percent of them choosing a nature retreat for a creative reset.
Generally speaking, Filipinos are equally strapped between work (58.4 percent), financial constraints, (57.7 percent) and time limitations (55.1 percent), making travel frequency and preferences occasionally inaccessible or unmet.
Interestingly, while 48 percent of respondents feel entirely recharged after travels, 92.2 percent of them also experience post-travel blues, so much so that 49.1 percent immediately start planning out their next trip.
Usage of AI
On a regional scale, Klook found that more than half (58.4 percent) of respondents have sought the help of AI to plan their trips, while 35 percent are yet to try it out but are interested in trying it.
While Gen Z and Millennials are attuned to using AI (64.4 percent, 51.8 percent), there’s a small percentage (6.7 percent) who are not interested in trying it out.
Hotel bookings
Filipinos book 1-2 night stays at hotels and resorts that offer breakfast and have a pool. In booking these, respondents (45 percent) secured them less than a month to 3 months ahead of their travel, with activities generally being booked in less than a month in advance. Klook has seen events like marathons and concerts contribute to this increase of hotel bookings.
Klook Philippines also announced statistics showing a 202 percent growth of Filipinos booking hotels within the Philippines, and 160 percent increase of inbound tourists booking local hotels.
Overall, the travel app recorded a general increase by 190 percent of those booking hotel stays on the platform.
Upcoming plans
Supporting its 2025 Travel Pulse study on April 29, 2025, Klook partnered with Hospitality Innovators, Inc. (HII) to cater to the growing demand for hotels as well as launch different hotel rooms, experiences, and bundles exclusively available on the Klook platform.
On the Klook platform alone, HII saw a 913.7 percent growth in bookings in 2024 versus the previous year.
“Our collaboration with Klook Philippines caters to the growing demand for hotels by both Filipinos and foreign tourists through their platform. With the central goal to elevate the guest journey at our properties, we’ve joined forces to create unique experiences when staying in HII hotels,” Luis Monserrat, Founder, President and CEO of HII announced.
For the past 25 years, HII has transformed the management of hotels, resorts, serviced apartments and other properties with its world-class Filipino hospitality. HII has an extensive resume, managing the operations of 15 properties across the Philippines.
Klook is Asia’s leading platform for experiences and travel services. The company curates quality experiences ranging from attractions and tours to local transport and experiential stays, in over 2,700 destinations globally.
