Travel platform Klook said on Wednesday that Filipino travelers are likely to explore domestic destinations and other nearby countries, as the effects of the ongoing war in the Middle East intensify.
“Because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, because of the oil price swings, we’re seeing that Filipinos are still traveling but choosing to travel closer to home,” Klook Philippines General Manager Michelle Ho said in a media briefing.
“And that may mean domestic or that may 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 reality is people feel that it’s a lot more unpredictable,” she said. “If I’m going to spend this much money on my next travel getaway, I’d rather go for a more predictable city.”
“Their choices, where they should travel and how 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 top travel destinations among Filipinos this year.
“Regardless of what is happening from a macroeconomic standpoint, I think what we’re seeing is that Filipinos love to travel, and they like to do so both internationally and domestically,” Ms. Ho told reporters in an interview.
“What could possibly change is the frequency, how many times they would travel domestically versus internationally,” she added.
In 2025, the platform recorded 71% of its Filipino users travelled locally. The top destinations booked are Metro Manila, Boracay, Cebu, Cavite, and Pampanga.
“I would say that domestic remains to be a key driver for Filipino travel and for Filipino tourism, and that will continue to stay,” she said.
INFLUENCE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND SOCIAL MEDIA
With the rise of content creators and artificial intelligence (AI) in the country, Filipinos are now utilizing both resources for their travel plans.
“AI can consolidate the information, AI can provide this basic information,” Ms. Ho said.
“But when it comes to really being able to share lived experiences, I think 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 prominent among millennials compared to Generation Z.
Comparative data showed that 41% of millennials use AI to search for travel deals, compared to 37.7% of the younger generation.
Such a trend can 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 would say that the increase is phenomenal, in my opinion,” 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 among 11,000 users globally, including 500 Filipino participants. — Almira Louise S. Martinez
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