Travel platform Klook said on Wednesday that Filipino travelers are prone to explore domestic destinations and other nearby countries, as the consequences of the continuing war within the Middle East intensify.
“Due to the continuing conflict within the Middle East, due to the oil price swings, we’re seeing that Filipinos are still traveling but selecting to travel closer to home,” Klook Philippines General Manager Michelle Ho said in a media briefing.
“And that will mean domestic or that will mean an hour or two-hour flight outside of the Philippines,” she added.
Although travel costs are increasing globally, Ms. Ho noted that Filipinos still intend to travel to ‘predictable cities’.
“The fact is people feel that it’s lots more unpredictable,” she said. “If I’m going to spend this much money on my next travel getaway, I’d somewhat go for a more predictable city.”
“Their decisions, where they need to travel and the way they spend their money, that’s evolving,” she added.
Data from Klook’s Travel Pulse 2026 revealed that Northeast Asia (67%), Southeast Asia (30%), and South Asia and Oceania (3%) are the highest travel destinations amongst Filipinos this 12 months.
“No matter what is going on from a macroeconomic standpoint, I believe what we’re seeing is that Filipinos like to travel, and so they prefer to achieve this each internationally and domestically,” Ms. Ho told reporters in an interview.
“What could possibly change is the frequency, how repeatedly they might travel domestically versus internationally,” she added.
In 2025, the platform recorded 71% of its Filipino users travelled locally. The highest destinations booked are Metro Manila, Boracay, Cebu, Cavite, and Pampanga.
“I might say that domestic stays to be a key driver for Filipino travel and for Filipino tourism, and that may proceed to remain,” she said.
INFLUENCE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND SOCIAL MEDIA
With the rise of content creators and artificial intelligence (AI) within the country, Filipinos at the moment are utilizing each resources for his or her travel plans.
“AI can consolidate the data, AI can provide this basic information,” Ms. Ho said.
“But in the case of really with the ability to share lived experiences, I believe that’s where our consumers are leaning into social content creators, friends, family,” she added.
The report revealed that AI usage for travel-related concerns is more distinguished amongst millennials in comparison with Generation Z.
Comparative data showed that 41% of millennials use AI to look for travel deals, in comparison with 37.7% of the younger generation.
Such a trend will also be seen in activities research (48.9%), destination research (60.3%), and flight and hotel searches (44.1%).
“What we’re seeing is that the adoption is high. I might say that the rise is phenomenal, in my view,” Ms. Ho said. “So it’s more of a synergistic view, in a way that they lean into AI platforms for discovery, for basic research.”
Klook’s Travel Pulse 2026 report was conducted amongst 11,000 users globally, including 500 Filipino participants. — Almira Louise S. Martinez