Klook pulls off successful first mobile-led travel fest at 40,000 strong
MANILA, Philippines — Many Filipinos have become such tech-savvy travelers who rely on their smartphones to score discounts and deals.
So when Klook held its grandest event this year, the Klook Travel Fest 2018 at SMX Convention Center at SM Aura last September 29 and 30, thousands flocked with smartphones ready. A paperless, e-ticketing counter welcomed them, no less!
In this unique travel fair, online travel agency Klook brought together like-minded travel partners: airlines, attractions, tourism boards, e-commerce shopping platforms, travel media, dining, and so on. Such a large-scale gathering catered to the growing free independent traveler (FIT) market in the country.
“We noticed other travel events were lacking that element of community. People would book deals and leave, so we wanted to create a community-driven event where travelers not only get big travel savings, but also get an opportunity to meet and learn from other FIT travelers like themselves. During the Klook Travel Fest, we saw people exchanging travel hacks, sharing itinerary guides and booking travel deals – all using their smartphones!” Michelle Cruz, market lead for Klook, told Philstar.com in an exclusive interview.
Getting what they came for
What’s a travel fair without the sought-after deals? Klook and its partners definitely did not scrimp on these as discounts and vouchers flooded the scene.
Hot Deals commenced every two hours to signal the announcement of promo codes that visitors applied to their bookings.
Big travel savings, buy-one-take-one deals and discounted round-trip flights were doled out for popular travel destinations like Hong Kong (Ocean Park, Disneyland), Japan (Universal Studios) and Singapore (Universal Studios, Singapore Zoo), just to name a few.
Best of all, amazing PISO deals were also raffled out, which guests anticipated each time.
Social media influencer Wil Dasovich giving a workshop about what it means to be a traveler by occupation. Released
Immersion and learning
Participants then took advantage of special talks and POD workshops to make their fair experience more informative.
Klook invited content creators, influencers and bloggers to talk about helpful travel topics, like budgeting facilitated by Yoshke Dimen and Vins Carlos from The Poor Traveler; packing smart led by Kryz Uy, Camille Co and Nicole Andersson; tips in traveling in style from David Guison, Deegee Razon and Vina Guerrero; traveling with kids featuring Riki Flo, Andi Manzano-Reyes and Delamar; traveling solo led by Sam Oh, Issa Pressman and Gael Hilotin of Pinay Solo Backpacker; and what it means to be a traveler by occupation featuring Wil Dasovich.
Apart from the Hot Deals and discounts, attendees also participated in games all around the convention, Above is the money blower, where players accumulate as many stubs as they can to win vouchers. Philstar.com/Erwin Cagadas
A fête of food and music
The Klook festivity did not just double down on travel surprises, it also treated guests with good food and music.
Booths were scattered in the convention center to titillate the palate with a selection of local and international cuisines—a taste of what’s in store for them gastronomically, on their travels.
Keeping the air electrified were homegrown musical entertainment from the likes of Mayonnaise, IV of Spades, Dane Hipolito, Reese Lansangan, Sud and Autotelic, who pumped up the crowd with live music and catchy hooks from their best hits.
Homegrown musical act Mayonnaise performs at the event. Philstar.com/Erwin Cagadas
No strangers to traveling
The Philippines, vast, archipelagic and culture-rich as it is, has groomed Filipinos to be natural adventurers. With the advent of modern technology vis-à-vis travel, it did not take us long to catch on.
One of the reasons for the Klook Travel Fair’s success is how latching on to new travel conveniences became second nature to its customers.
“I think one thing that we’re really happy about is how Filipinos are open to the concept of a mobile-led fair—they are very adaptable, they know what to do!” Cruz said.
With over 50,000 travel products on site, covering 200 global destinations, Klook is a one-stop shop for in-destination travel services.
One of the reasons for the Klook Travel Fair’s success is its customers' strong familiarity with travel-related technologies. Philstar.com/EC Toledo
“This includes food and dining and utility products like WiFi, roaming services, train tickets, and so on. And for more popular products, we pride ourselves in being one of the lowest—if not the lowest—in the market when it comes to discounted theme park tickets, for example,” Cruz said.
No FOMO
Those who missed out need not fret as Klook promises to hold regional travel festival beyond the metro.
And not just that: Klook has launched their year-end sale campaign. Until December 31, get an instant holiday upgrade using promo code
Know more about Klook’s offerings. Visit their website, follow them on Facebook and Instagram, and download the Klook app via iOS or Android.
