As international travel makes a comeback, Klook experiences are now available on Booking.com
We often talk about the importance of collaboration in the travel space – especially now that most of Asia has opened up and travel platforms of all sizes are redefining their place in this new landscape. In the last two years, consumer behavior has significantly changed, and many users are looking for all-in-one platforms when planning their holidays and workcations.
As such, on 3 October 2022, Booking.com and Klook announced a long-term strategic partnership that allows travelers to access Klook attractions directly on Booking.com. I was invited, alongside other media organizations, to the Booking.com x Klook media event, where I happened to glean some insight on the dynamics of this team-up.
Firstly, why is this important for the Asian tourism scene?
In terms of consumer reach for each platform, Booking.com offers more than 28 million total reported accommodation listings, while Klook, a relatively young entity, has over 490,000 activities in over 1,000 destinations. Through this new partnership, Klook experiences are now available in over 175 cities, across over 30 markets on Booking.com, and the majority of these are available in Asia and Oceania.
While such partnerships aren’t new to Booking.com (Musement and Viator already collaborate with Booking.com to serve travellers particularly in North American and European markets), the bridging of networks between two major service providers provides clues into shifting consumer demands in the Asian region.
At the Booking.com x Klook media event, Mattias Schmid (SVP for the Booking.com Trips division), said the key objective of this partnership was to offer customers a more seamless experience. Instead of planning a trip on different platforms, OTAs, and verticals, a cross-blend of listings would improve the process of booking activities and accommodation within a single ‘search’. It’s a user journey that takes time to enhance and can’t be simply fixed overnight, Matthias added.
Wilfred Fan (Chief Commercial Officer, Klook) called the partnership a milestone event in Klook’s 8-year history. Fundamentally, it allows the brand to tap into a new segment of travelers while creating more opportunities for merchant partners.
(From L-R) Matthias Schmid, Senior Vice President, Trips Division, Booking,com, Laura Houldsworth, Managing Director, Vice President, Booking.com, Wilfred Fan, COO, Klook
That last bit is interesting because to cap the afternoon, us media folk were whisked away on a charming Vespa-sidecar-tour through Singapore’s Joo Chiat area – famous for its Peranakan culture and architecture. We were dropped off at The Intan – a Peranakan heritage home that doubles as one of Singapore’s most highly rated museums. Unsurprisingly, without tourist footfall during the peak of the pandemic, attractions like The Intan had a tough time keeping business afloat.
It became quite clear, at that point, that small merchants, attractions, and businesses were the ones who would benefit greatly from the collaboration of larger entities in the travel space.
Many of these merchants, even some microenterprises, make up a big part of the travel scene in Asia. As more users shift to online platforms to plan their trips, it only makes sense that increased exposure of relatively smaller merchants would help in the recovery of local tourism – regardless of where “local” may be.
Pic courtesy of Booking.com
