Klook turns focus to domestic offerings, launches Klook Home amid Covid-19

TRAVEL booking startup Klook on Monday announced the launch of its new home-based experiences initiative Klook Home, as it directs its focus towards domestic offerings to combat the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the travel industry.

Klook Home includes almost 200 home-based experiences such as do-it-yourself (DIY) craft and cooking kits, online workshops, as well as free virtual tours. Within Singapore, examples include The Whale Tea DIY bubble tea kit, and an online wine-tasting masterclass.

The new initiative is the first phase of Klook's global "multi-stage recovery approach" and has been launched in 14 markets within the Asia-Pacific and Europe, the company said.

"Klook aims to capture local demand first, followed by offerings based on intra-regional travel corridors, as global market conditions gradually improve and travel restrictions ease," it added.

According to Klook's search data in April across the Asia-Pacific and Europe, about 60 per cent of its total searches were related to domestic experiences, signalling that local interest for domestic offerings is on the rise, the startup said in a press statement.

Markets with stay-home regulations such as Singapore and the Philippines will be able to tap into home-based activities from Klook Home, while markets that have eased stay-home orders such as Taiwan and Hong Kong can leverage Klook's list of local activities within the city or other cities.

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Klook's domestic offerings encompass "weekend city things-to-do such as local attractions, movie tickets, and underexplored off-the-beaten-path activities", the company said.

Eric Gnock Fah, chief operating officer and co-founder of Klook, said: "Covid-19 has inevitably altered the future of travel and we must continue to be nimble to capture new opportunities.

"Global travel may be some time away from now, but we are confident to seize every opportunity, starting with local experiences."

Last month, the travel booking firm said it would cut staff, place some employees on temporary leave, and implement a company-wide reduced work week to cut costs amid the pandemic. The new four-day work week will mean a 20 per cent salary reduction "subject to local market conditions", chief executive and co-founder Ethan Lin had said in an e-mail to employees. This will take place for three months from May 1.

In addition, the co-founders of the Hong Kong-based firm had stopped taking a salary since February, and will continue to do so until the crisis is over.

Prior to the pandemic, the startup had been on a growth trajectory and managed to raise about US$520 million from investors such as Goldman Sachs and SoftBank Vision Fund.