Klook: Pinoy travelers on wait-and-see mode

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March 26, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos plan to pursue short-term trips for now because they have already booked tickets ahead, but they may slow down on their travels soon, especially once airfares hit the roof.

Based on company data, booking platform Klook posted a 51-percent growth in the Philippines in 2025, pushed up by a surge in short, weekend travels to Boracay, Cavite, Cebu, Metro Manila and Pampanga.

However, Klook managing director Michelle Ho said Filipinos’ booking patterns may change this year if the ongoing war in the Middle East rages on, driving up travel costs.

For now, Ho said Klook has yet to see a slowdown in travel activities, as the platform observed that Filipinos are completing trips they booked ahead. Filipinos still took their seats on that flight to Japan to see the cherry blossoms during the spring season.

Despite this, Ho sees Filipinos taking a wait-and-see approach soon, as airfares are about to go up drastically by April. Airlines were given the go-signal by the Civil Aeronautics Board to raise the fuel surcharge to Level 8 between April 1 and 15.

At Level 8, airlines can collect a fuel surcharge of P253 to P787 for domestic flights and P835.05 to P6,208.98 for international trips, depending on the distance.

Ho said this shift could benefit local businesses, particularly emerging industries such as sports tourism, as Filipinos would still want to experience something new, but for a lower price.

Klook sees a rising demand for sports tourism, particularly for running events like marathons and fitness competitions like Hyrox, and Ho believes it has the potential to become bigger.

According to Klook’s annual study Travel Pulse, more than half of Filipinos will spend the same budget for travel this year. There are exceptions though, with 43 percent willing to pay more for food and 26 percent for experiences.

Still, the resounding message from the study is that Filipinos would prioritize staying within the budget in a time when economic uncertainties are plentiful. They would also prefer trips that are easier to plan, so expectations are there would be fewer flights to visa countries.

Filipinos also expressed interest to still fly abroad, but they are keeping the destinations close to home, with two in three wanting a vacation to East Asian staples Japan and Taiwan.

Last year Klook registered a triple-digit growth in travel bookings to Vietnam (193 percent) and Taiwan (124 percent), while Thailand posted a 67-percent expansion.