At Klook KREATORVERSE 2025 in Hiroshima, Wilfred Fan, Chief Commercial Officer at Klook, took to the stage to offer insights on the evolving landscape of travel, and a look ahead to what’s next for travel.
Let’s start with the big picture. What are the foundational shifts you see truly redefining the global travel industry right now?
The most compelling trend is the velocity of growth from Asia Pacific. The region isn’t just bouncing back, but leading the charge with APAC arrival rates 12% higher than the rest of the world.
Travel is rapidly becoming a $10 trillion dollar industry, and at the heart of the massive industry are next-gen travelers who’re driving demand. And that demand isn’t waning, with 40% of travelers booking their next trip within a month of their last.
And now, the focus has shifted towards experiences. Travel inspiration is no longer governed by where to go, but what to do. 91% of our travelers are willing to spend more than half of their travel budgets on experiences.
It's about being present, engaging authentically with a place, and acquiring memories that you can take home and share. That deeply human need for connection and shared experience, that’s the true core of travel today.
With this demand for experiences, are there specific categories that are really taking off?
Some of the things that we’ve seen gaining traction are the thrilling experiences. Think skiing, ziplining, hot air balloon rides that offer a sense of escape.
On the other side, we're seeing strong movements driven by culture, heritage, and wellness.
- Interest in donning the #hanfu in Mainland China (traditional clothing of the Han dynasty) skyrocketed eighteen times in the last year.
- There is a five-fold increase in people looking for drink experiences like matcha tasting, which is the "it" drink these recent years.
- Wellness is also a constant. People will pack their bags and travel thousands of miles to do nothing, or go in search of spiritual healing in Bali and exploring the baths in Turkey.
And these are not just fleeting trends; they represent a deeper need for meaningful connection and immersion.
How exactly do you bring this vast, diverse world of experiences to life for travelers?
Our work centers on building an ecosystem and curating the deepest stack of experiences, especially in Asia. We work closely with local partners, gather the information, and create interesting things to do for travelers to discover and explore.
Our role as a connector is key, bridging discovery, access, and operations.
A key part of our strategy is our proactive partnership with tourism boards and governments across the world. Take Japan for instance: their core concern is often not how to attract more visitors, but how to distribute them to manage overtourism in major hubs.
So here’s where we come in. It’s about how we can strategically create demand to draw travelers beyond the traditional cities and into hidden gems.
What we've done with the Hiroshima Tourism Association is a perfect case study. One of the main challenges was visibility and putting a spotlight on their experiences. By hosting KREATORVERSE in Hiroshima, we mobilized over 120 content creators who generated authentic content that can significantly boost Hiroshima’s discoverability.
It’s an entire network, from cooperation with the local authority, with all the merchants that we partner with, the partnership with the content creators, and, of course, our platform as the center of it that makes things happen.
Which destinations are capturing travelers’ imagination now?
Global favourites like Paris, Tokyo, Rome, Milan have always been popular. But people are in for new places and new destinations.
In the last 12 months, we’ve seen demand rise for new cities such as: Hiroshima where we hosted KREATORVERSE, Gangwon-do, Nagano, Sapa, and Chongqing.
There’s always a new destination to explore, be it a hidden gem or not. It’s about the spirit of exploration, and how we can be among the first to make things available to our users. This approach allows us to continue bringing the best of the destination to travelers.
Looking ahead, how do you see the future of travel?
2025 is the start of a new decade where we went from a startup to a grown-up. At Klook, we’re bridging discovery to what we have on our platform.
We’re dedicated to ensuring that when customers are inspired by an experience, it’s right there. When they’re ready to buy, it’s instantly available. And when they research, they see the best of the destinations that we cover.
It’s about making it seamless, and letting our users tap on that discovery and make it a reality.
