Singapore – Travel platform Klook is riding the April Fools’ tide with its ‘announcement’ of unconventional experiences. 

Through an Instagram post, Klook shows its humorous side, sharing quirky and fun activities like placing the most coveted bench in Tokyo up for rent this Sakura season. It even included a snail trail expedition, where individuals can hunt and create their own mucin masks.

Airport transfers are also included in the lineup, but with a ‘hunky’ guy doing the work. The post also invited people to sculpt themselves in wax at a museum in London and design their couture buttons in Paris.

In its campaign for Klook Protect last year, the company also used humour to promote travel security with The Secret Little Agency.

Recently, Klook announced a US$100m in funding led by growth investment firm Vitruvian Partners as it broadens its reach in the Asia-Pacific.

Singapore – Klook has announced US$100m in funding led by growth investment firm Vitruvian Partners. The latest investment underscores continued confidence in Klook’s vision, market leadership, and operational excellence as the company accelerates its efforts to capture the fast-growing market of next generation travelers and deepen its reach across Asia-Pacific.

The investment from Vitruvian Partners, known for backing high-growth, category-defining companies, brings a wealth of expertise and global perspective to Klook’s next phase of growth. 

With a strong track record of supporting travel innovators and scaling global businesses, Vitruvian’s partnership reinforces Klook’s ambition to expand its reach, and solidify its position as a category leader.

Marking its 10th anniversary in 2024, Klook has been instrumental in redefining how travelers discover and book in-destination experiences. The company has facilitated millions of seamless travel moments, empowered local businesses, and contributed US$7.2b in GDP and supported over 219,000 jobs in Asia-Pacific, reaffirming its pivotal role as a key economic engine in the region’s tourism sector.

Ethan Lin, CEO and co-founder of Klook, said, “Over the past decade, Klook has established itself as the go-to platform for travel experiences in Asia Pacific, reimagining how travelers discover and connect with destinations. With the region set to remain the heartbeat of global tourism, Klook’s strong brand, extensive supply network, and deep local expertise position us to deliver even greater value to the next generation of experience-driven travelers across the world. We are excited to welcome Vitruvian on this journey.”

Meanwhile, Sophie Bower-Straziota, partner at Vitruvian Partners, commented, “We are thrilled to partner with Klook at this pivotal moment in its journey. Klook’s track record of innovation, commitment to customer experience, and deep market expertise make it uniquely positioned to lead the transformation of travel experiences in Asia Pacific. We believe Vitruvian’s investment and its deep thematic expertise in the global travel experience market will help further drive Klook’s growth by strengthening its operational capabilities and expanding its reach.”

The newly secured capital will drive Klook’s next phase of growth and innovation. Through its expanded AI partnership with Google Cloud, the company plans to enhance customer experience, merchant operations, and internal productivity. Klook is also future-proofing the tourism sector through digital transformation and fostering community impact in collaboration with tourism boards across Asia-Pacific.

Moreover, a recent agreement with the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) exemplifies this approach, accelerating the digital transformation of the country’s tourism sector and improving access to authentic local experiences.

Philippines – The Department of Tourism (DOT) has launched its flagship tourism program, the ‘Philippine Experience Program’ (PEP) on Klook Philippines’ platform through a partnership.

The collaboration aims to make travel experiences more accessible in the country, while advancing the digitalisation of Philippine tourism.

Through the partnership, PEP’s curated tour packages across the country are now available in the platform, including the ‘Culture, Heritage & Adventure’ tours in the Calabarzon, Ilocos, and Visayas regions. Tours will also be available in Bicol and Palawan.

Each tour spans a variety of experiences, including historical and cultural immersion, sampling local delicacies, and exploring different landmarks.

Additionally, the partnership seeks to integrate DOT’s ‘Tourist Rest Areas’ on the Klook platform. DOT also plans to endorse Klook as partners of Mactan-Cebu International Airport and Clark International Airport.

“With this partnership with Klook, the Philippine Experience Program will now be carried on the Klook platform. The Philippine Experience Program is a flagship initiative of the Marcos administration, whereby, we are translating the President’s vision of reintroducing the Philippines to the world, not just from a one-dimensional lens of fun and adventure, but also from the highly diversified lens of our Filipino identity that can very well be seen in in our culture, our heritage, our stories, immersions into our communities, our gastronomy, and all the other experiences that you can have in our destinations. Carrying the Philippine Experience Program on Klook will also equalize tourism opportunities among our destinations, which is the advocacy of the Department of Tourism,” Christina Garcia Frasco, DOT secretary, commented.

“At Klook, we believe there are countless adventures, unique experiences, and cultural treasures still waiting to be discovered. Here in the Philippines, with its stunning natural wonders and the warmth and vibrancy of its people, we are excited to partner with the Department of Tourism to bring even more of these incredible experiences to Filipinos and travelers around the world,” Eric Gnock Fah, Klook president and co-founder, said.

Singapore – Klook, a travel services and experiences platform, is promoting travel security in its latest campaign for its insurance arm Klook Protect with creative agency The Secret Little Agency (TSLA).

The campaign aims to encourage travellers to ensure protection during their journeys and experiences, introducing the Klook Protection Agency. It reinforces Klook’s objective to insure travellers’ good experiences in light of risks.

As part of the campaign, Klook is releasing a series of videos featuring Singaporean content creator Simonboy traversing usual travel setbacks, such as bad weather and accidentally oversleeping.

Klook’s campaign highlights Klook protect’s features, including the Satisfaction Guarantee and No-Show Refund that can help save a traveller’s journey despite unexpected incidents.

Klook Protect’s recent study backs the campaign, which found that 48% of millennials and Gen Z travellers are facing more risks with their preference for experiential adventures, solo trips, and budget-friendly experiences.

“At Klook, experiences are the core of what we do. With the holiday season in full swing, this campaign is all about showing travelers how they can enjoy their year-end adventures worry-free. Insurance can be often seen as something to check off a travel list, so we’re flipping the script to inject some light-hearted humour to show how it empowers travelers to embrace the joy of their adventures,” Marcus Yong, vice president of global marketing at Klook, said.

“We loved the challenge of helping Klook craft a campaign that communicates safety, trust, and assurance. Klook Protect addresses the real needs of today’s travelers, and we’re proud to be able to bring it to life in a way that resonates and inspires through the K.P.A.,” Mavis Neo and Nicholas Ye, chief creative officers at The Secret Little Agency, commented.

Singapore – United Overseas Bank (UOB) has collaborated with Disney Cruise Line to reward its cardholders booking on the ‘Disney Adventure’ cruise.

UOB cardholders in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam can enjoy benefits when they book cruise vacations starting Dec. 10.

The three-year partnership’s benefits also extend to cardholders booking on UOB’s travel partners UOB Travel Planners, Klook, Traveloka, and Trip.com. Benefits vary among travel partners.

As part of the partnership, UOB has launched the ‘Let the Magic Begin’ campaign through activities.

Customers can get a chance to win a 3-night voyage on the Disney Adventure when using their cards to spend, deposit on their accounts, or make transactions using the UOB TMRW app.

UOB is also rewarding character plushies to the first 1,000 cardholders who exceed $2000 in spending in a period of 10 days.

Additionally, customers can collect stamp cards inspired by the seven areas inside the Disney Adventure cruise line. UOB will reward limited-edition Disney Cruise Line-themed items to those who finish the stamp collection from Dec. 1 to Jan. 12, 2025.

Meanwhile, UOB cardholders can also earn rewards when visiting and purchasing at Jewel Changi Airport’s ‘The Gift of Disney Cruise Line at Jewel’ holiday event.

“UOB is thrilled to team up with Disney Cruise Line on our quest to provide cardholders with unique privileges for their Disney Adventure cruise vacations in this first-of-its-kind collaboration in the region. This fits hand in glove with the slate of artists we have assembled thus far, including the biggest names in Western entertainment, the K-pop scene and Mandopop royalty, the most dramatic theatre productions and hottest music festivals,” Jacquelyn Tan, head of group personal financial services at UOB, said.

“This is testament to our promise of offering marvellous privileges and access to aspiring ASEAN consumers, to fulfill their myriad lifestyle preferences, and underpinning our strategy to drive growth in our customer base closer towards our 10 million ambition in three years,” Tan added.

“As Disney Cruise Line brings its magical cruise vacations to Asia for the first time in December 2025, we look forward to welcoming travellers in the region to experience beloved stories and characters from Disney, Pixar and Marvel brought to life,” Sarah Fox, vice president and regional general manager for Southeast Asia at Disney Cruise Line, commented.

“Through this collaboration with UOB, consumers will have even more options to plan and book their Disney Adventure cruise vacations seamlessly. We can’t wait for guests to create exceptional memories with their family and friends onboard the Disney Adventure,” Fox said. 

Singapore – Klook, a platform for experiences and travel services, has expanded its partnership with Google Cloud to enhance its platform’s capabilities through generative artificial intelligence (AI). 

Through the partnership, Google Cloud will equip Klook with AI capabilities that will boost its productivity. The companies will co-develop an AI infrastructure layer to ensure the accuracy and reliability of outputs. 

The partnership expansion builds on Klook’s progress through Google Cloud, including the creation and localisation of content for Klook’s travel pages. While substantially reducing production time, it has also ensured accurate translation across pages. 

The shared AI infrastructure enables Klook to attend to travellers’ and merchants’ needs efficiently. It will drive Klook’s innovations over the next year, focusing on customer and partner needs. 

For customers, the platform’s upcoming ‘shopping guide’ feature will simplify the process of comparing similar experiences. By summarising reviews and identifying common factors between experiences, the platform will aid travellers’ choices. For partners, Klook is introducing tools to gather business insights and enhance operational efficiency. 

Klook’s AI strategy will leverage traveller feedback and merchant insights to develop an AI-powered conversational commerce approach. This chat-based interface will offer personalised recommendations and streamline trip planning and booking. 

Klook engineers are also using Gemini Code Assist for testing and code generation. Its other teams are also exploring ways to streamline tasks like search engine optimization and bill reconciliation using AI.

Additionally, Klook will also leverage Google Cloud’s expertise to ensure responsible AI practices in its operations.

Bernie Xiong, chief technology officer and co-founder of Klook, commented, “Even in our earliest explorations with Google Cloud, generative AI has improved Klook’s ability to drive greater efficiencies at scale as we expanded our global footprint, while enabling our teams to innovate and operate more efficiently. Our expanded collaboration with Google Cloud pushes the boundaries of what’s possible with AI in travel, creating a competitive edge that translates into faster, more impactful improvements to customer experience, merchant operations, and internal productivity for the long haul.”

“Klook’s shared AI infrastructure layer will maximise the impact of innovations in any part of its business, while minimising the risks of duplicated effort and data fragmentation of more siloed approaches to AI development. This puts Klook in a strong position to solidify its first-mover advantage on generative AI, and translate its wealth of travel experience into immense value for its customers and partners, no matter where their journey takes them,” Karan Bajwa, vice president at Google Cloud in Asia-Pacific, said.

Singapore – Staying committed to your work, even in the face of challenges, is about cultivating a deep passion and love for what you do. This passion drives you to adapt, learn, and grow, turning your job into a fulfilling journey that shapes both your career and sense of purpose.

In the latest instalment of MARKETECH APAC’s Milestone Series, we spoke with Marcus Yong, vice president of global marketing at Klook, about the key milestones in his nearly nine-year journey with the company. From its early days as a fledgling startup to becoming a global leader in the experiences market, Marcus has played a vital role in shaping Klook’s evolution.

In this feature, Marcus reflects on the pivotal moments that shaped his leadership, his role in Klook’s meteoric rise, and his vision for the future of travel.

Boarding a journey of grit and growth

Marcus joined Klook in 2016 as its regional marketing director. As one of the first employees in Southeast Asia, Marcus had to roll up his sleeves and dive deep into every aspect of Klook’s operations. 

“Being in the trenches is part and parcel of life in a startup—there was no room for just delegating or outsourcing,” Marcus said. 

Joining a company in its early stages meant experiencing both its highs and lows firsthand. For Marcus, this required constant adaptation to each phase of Klook’s growth and evolution. 

He recalled being hands-on in every aspect, from personally convincing people to download the app at weekend events to guiding partners through live platform demos. With Klook still a relatively unknown brand in its early days, Marcus also admitted that attracting talent was a constant challenge.

“I recall flying to Kuala Lumpur for a lunch meeting after our prospective head of marketing had already turned me down once. Thankfully, my persistence paid off—she eventually joined us and went on to scale our Malaysia business several times over,” Marcus recounted. “It is moments like these that taught me the value of tenacity and hands-on leadership.”

Klook has gone through eight rounds of funding and experienced rapid growth. With each stage, Marcus’ role also evolved. Initially, their focus was on hiring the right talent and defining their go-to-market playbook, especially for Southeast Asia. 

During what Marcus referred to as the ‘golden days,’ Klook experienced hypergrowth and blitzscaling, rapidly expanding across teams, geographies, new verticals, and channels. However, much like a rollercoaster ride, the COVID-19 pandemic came and brought unforeseen challenges, prompting a shift in focus. The team redirected its efforts toward enhancing functional efficiencies, balancing local agility with central governance, and refining channel strategies and metrics.

Now, as Klook emerges stronger in the post-pandemic landscape, Marcus emphasises the company’s commitment to sustainable growth. By leveraging Klook’s strong brand and strategic partnerships, they aim to capitalise on the surge in ‘revenge travel’ and invite more Western travellers to explore Asia.

From when he first joined the company to now, Marcus admitted that his leadership perspective has evolved from wanting immediate impact to embracing mid- and long-term strategies.

“Now, I find myself challenging teammates, the ‘younger versions of me’ who are leading the charge today, guiding them as they craft strategies for success over the next 6 to 12 months. It’s humbling to witness their growth and play a part in shaping what comes next, as one global team,” Marcus shared. 

First stop: Navigating the multigenerational dynamics as a millennial leader

Talking about teams, Marcus pointed out how he is now considered a ‘millenial leader.’ And as a millennial leader, he has faced unique challenges while guiding Klook’s global marketing efforts. 

One of the challenges he faced is fostering a culture that appeals to a multigenerational workforce, especially given the high growth and constant changes within the company. 

Marcus believes that culture begins at the top. Establishing a clear vision and mission is crucial, along with fostering an environment that promotes high performance, ownership, and on-the-job training (OJT).

“At Klook, we are guided by our core beliefs, one of which is to ‘push boundaries.’ We don’t subscribe to what some may call ‘bureaucrat mode’; everyone is constantly moving, learning, and challenging limits regardless of their role or tenure. We encourage internal rotation, mobility, and the setting of stretch goals to challenge the status quo,” he noted. 

Even Marcus, who earlier in his career was recognised as a digital expert, found himself continuously adapting to emerging trends in a digital-first landscape. 

“I find myself in a position that is both a privilege and a humbling experience,” Marcus expressed. “I’m constantly adapting to the evolving landscape, where I’m both a teacher and a student—learning from our Gen Z teammates about new trends, fresh perspectives, and how to challenge traditional marketing funnels and concepts we grew up with as millennial marketers.”

On Layover: Turning a travel pause into momentum

Although Marcus was fully capable of leading his team, no one, including him, was prepared for the global pandemic, which brought the travel industry—the lifeblood of Klook—to a standstill.

However, despite the uncontrollable and uncertain nature of the pandemic, Marcus and his team remained focused on their mission of bringing people together through experiences.

As a younger travel company, Marcus sees Klook’s agile and growth-driven mindset as one of its greatest strengths. Without the burden of legacy models, they can “deconstruct to reconstruct” ideas, leveraging resources to drive rapid growth.

During the pandemic, when cross-border travel was restricted, Klook launched a staycation accommodation vertical that positioned the stay itself as the experience. Users could escape their daily routines and enjoy facilities like spas, dining, and attraction tickets without travelling to a new destination.

The blend of blog content, live streaming, and social media used to launch the company’s ‘STAY’ vertical enabled them to go to market faster than competitors, driving the vertical’s growth in multiple markets once cross-border travel resumed.

“Understanding that travel is an essential part of people’s lives, we knew that the closure of borders would result in a new wave of pent-up travel demand once the restrictions were lifted. It wasn’t a question of if, but when,” he said. 

Second stop: Visiting the new industry trends in the travel and experiences market

The rise of AI and the increasing influence of Gen Z have transformed customer behaviours, a shift that Marcus recognises. 

“You’ve heard the saying, ‘Gen Z broke the marketing funnel; it’s now a loop.’ I find this extremely relevant because we don’t live or work in a linear fashion anymore,” he stated. 

Marcus believes that while traditional marketing theories remain sound in principle, the reality has become far more complex. The conventional playbook—relying on search, paid ads, and static distribution channels—is rapidly becoming outdated.

He also acknowledges that attention spans are shrinking in an age of instant information, with consumers increasingly craving authentic, video-based content.

“To win, I often tell my team that we need to be part of culture and create content that can entertain, engage, and inform audiences simultaneously—and at scale—by using AI, refreshed creatives, and content,” Marcus said. 

Marcus further noted how the experiences market is evolving with younger generations prioritising authentic, immersive travel. From mega-events like Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour’ to wellness experiences, travellers are increasingly seeking meaningful, personalised experiences.

Beyond the types of experiences sought after, Marcus highlighted significant shifts in how these generations discover and book them. The evolution of social media is streamlining the booking process, enabling users to find inspiration and book experiences directly within apps. 

Additionally, content creators play a pivotal role in the travel industry, championing the discovery of hidden gems and unique destinations through authentic storytelling.

“As the next generation becomes increasingly socially savvy, content creators will play a greater role in igniting that sense of travel. After all, travel is inherently personal and emotional, and it is authentic content that will resonate most with today’s travellers,” Marcus expressed. 

Recently, Klook hosted its inaugural Kreatoverse Summit, uniting over 130 content creators in Singapore. This travel-focused event fostered collaboration among like-minded creators through idea-sharing sessions, exclusive experiences, and a live hackathon for content creation.

“At Klook, we recognised this evolution in customer behaviour and have shifted our focus toward content, social, and mobile marketing and even building our own global community of Kreators (Klook Content Creators) over the last few years,” Marcus concluded. 

Taking off: Celebrating years of joyful journeys and lasting impact 

As Klook marks its 10th anniversary, the company continues to innovate while giving back. To celebrate, Klook launched initiatives that reinforce its commitment to making a positive impact on local communities and users.

Among these initiatives are the 11 ‘Money-Can’t-Buy’ experiences that give users the chance to win unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime travel adventures. 

“This project is close to my heart because it aligns with our mission—helping travellers create joyful memories that last a lifetime,” Marcus shared. 

Additionally, as part of their commitment to animal welfare, Klook partnered with ACES to accredit 12 elephant sanctuaries under the ‘Klook Assessed’ program, raising care standards for both animals and local communities. They also introduced over 200 certified sustainable activities, empowering travellers to choose eco-friendly experiences. Lastly, they offered complimentary local tours led by experts, providing authentic cultural insights and supporting small businesses. 

But it’s not just Klook marking a milestone—Marcus is also approaching his 9th anniversary with the company, having been part of its journey almost since the beginning.

As his anniversary approaches, Marcus admits to feeling a deep sense of ownership and fulfilment. 

“It’s probably quite rare (in life) that one finds a job that feels like a personal mission, despite not being a founder,” he shared. 

He also shared that he finds it fulfilling to mentor the next generation of talent following in his footsteps.

“The opportunity to mentor and lay the groundwork for the next generation of growth and years to come even when I eventually move on, makes each day feel fulfilling and unlike any typical 9-5 corporate job,” Marcus stated. 

Looking ahead, Marcus is committed to propelling Klook’s growth. His vision is to establish Klook as the premier platform for leisure and experiences, staying true to the mission of making the world a more joyful place by bringing people closer through experiences.

“I often say that the indomitable Klook spirit is what sets this company apart, and I’m incredibly proud to have played a part in its growth story. More to come! ” He declared. 

Singapore – After a competitive closed-door pitch, travel and experience platform, Klook has appointed independent creative agency The Secret Little Agency as its creative partner for their upcoming global brand work. 

The Secret Little Agency’s remit includes the development of a global brand strategy for marketing and communications, conceptualisation of global brand platforms and campaigns, as well as mapping opportunities for future experience pillars. 

Klook will join the agency’s list of global clients which include Star Alliance, IKEA Singapore, Marriott Bonvoy, DBS Bank and more. 

Marcus Yong, vice president of global marketing at Klook, said, “Choosing the right partner to support our next stage of growth was crucial. The Secret Little Agency demonstrated a clear understanding of our goals and brought fresh ideas to the table. We’re excited about this collaboration and what we can achieve together to bring even more joy to millions of travelers around the world.”

Meanwhile, Eunice Tan, group CEO at The Secret Little Agency, said, “Klook has transformed the way we travel and enjoy experiences over the past decade. We are excited to embark on this journey and to work together to co-create a revolutionary brand as they enter their next chapter of innovation.”

Singapore – Klook, an activity booking platform, has launched ‘Money Can’t Buy Experiences,’ an activation offering free trips and experiences in celebration of its 10th anniversary. 

The experiences offered include a trip to Hong Kong Disneyland, snowboarding in Switzerland with world champion snowboarder Gian Simmen, and being a vet at Mandai Wildlife Reserve in Singapore. It also includes a chance to swim with whale sharks in the Maldives and dine underwater at Deep Dive Dubai.

“We know travellers are always searching for unique, shareable experiences, but rising costs can make these dreams feel unattainable. As the category leader in experiences, we wanted to go above and beyond for our users. That’s why, to celebrate our 10th anniversary, we’re giving back with these spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime experiences that truly embody what Klook stands for—creating unforgettable moments that last a lifetime,” Marcus Yong, vice president of global marketing at Klook, said.

“We’re empowering our users to embrace their ‘Main Character Energy,’ making them feel like the stars of their own adventures. It’s all about helping them create those once-in-a-lifetime moments that they’ll cherish forever,” Yong added.

Interested Klook users may register for their selected experience until Oct. 31 and only until Sept. 22 for the Hong Kong Disneyland trip. Klook is also set to unveil additional offerings in October as part of its 10th-anniversary celebration.

Singapore – Klook is advancing its social commerce strategy by introducing a new booking feature on TikTok and investing in Kreator Labs workshops to empower Gen Z and millennial travellers.

Klook’s new partnership with TikTok enables users in seven Southeast Asian markets and Japan to discover and book travel attractions directly within the app, streamlining the process from inspiration to booking.

This new booking feature underscores Klook’s dedication to leveraging social media through its expanding Kreator influencer program. 

Klook is also investing in Kreator Labs workshops and partnerships to boost authentic user-generated content and expand the Klook Kreator program. Following notable growth in markets such as Taiwan, Australia, and the US, the program will now incorporate platforms like YouTube, allowing it to explore a broader range of formats to meet the increasing demand for genuine UGC.

With over 20,000 Kreators across 16 global markets, Klook will further invest in empowering these creators by enhancing their content creation journey. This includes supporting Kreator Labs workshops, facilitating discussions, and partnering with merchants to offer firsthand experience of activities.

Additionally, Klook will host a major gathering of travel content creators in September, bringing together over 130 global Kreators. 

Klook aims to leverage these advancements in social commerce to create new opportunities for its extensive network of merchants to connect with and engage the next generation of travellers.

Marcus Yong, vice president of global marketing at Klook, said, “Social media has become the go-to channel for travellers seeking inspiration on destinations and things to do. Klook is now able to bridge these travellers directly to the activities they discover on their feeds, enhancing our social-first approach in meeting the needs of the next generation of travellers.”