How Klook’s social commerce playbook turns travel inspiration into bookings

Social media was once viewed primarily as a tool for generating awareness, sitting at the top of a marketing funnel that guided consumers towards purchase. Klook Philippines believes that framework no longer reflects how people discover, plan and book travel today. 

Speaking at Content360 Philippines 2026, Ulla Roqueza (pictured), head of marketing at Klook Philippines, argued that social media has evolved from a supporting channel into the journey itself, collapsing discovery, consideration, purchase and advocacy into a continuous loop. 

The shift is particularly evident in travel, where a single piece of content can inspire a destination, influence an itinerary and trigger a booking within minutes. 

“The marketing funnel - it used to be more linear,” Roqueza said. “But today is already a new era, wherein it’s no longer a linear journey; it’s actually a marketing loop. Social media is not anymore a support, but it’s actually the journey.” 

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For Klook, that journey often begins with what many consumers consider idle browsing. A traveller scrolling through TikTok may stumble upon a creator visiting a pig café in Tokyo, save the post for later, revisit it while planning a trip and eventually book the experience. Once in-market, the same traveller may return to social media to discover last-minute activities nearby before sharing their own experiences online, restarting the cycle for others. 

The behaviour is increasingly common among younger consumers. According to Klook’s annual Travel Pulse consumer survey, 87% of Gen Z and Millennial Filipinos have booked an experience or visited a destination after seeing it gain popularity on social media. 

The finding highlights a broader shift in travel marketing. Rather than simply driving awareness, social platforms are increasingly shaping demand itself. 

Turning hidden destinations into mainstream demand 

One example cited by Roqueza was Sa Pa, Vietnam. 

In early 2024, Vietnam was already growing in popularity among Filipino travellers, but destinations such as Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi continued to dominate attention. Sa Pa, by contrast, remained relatively undiscovered. 

Rather than launching a traditional destination campaign, Klook leaned into creator-led storytelling and user-generated content. The company worked with travel creators who documented their experiences and introduced the destination to audiences looking for alternatives to more established tourist hotspots. 

As interest grew organically, Klook used social listening tools and creator insights to refine promotions and travel products around the destination. 

The approach reflects an increasingly important marketing principle: demand discovery rather than demand creation. 

Asked how Klook identifies hidden gems worth promoting, Roqueza revealed that social media serves as the company’s primary source of market intelligence. 

“We believe in the power of organic or user-generated content,” she said. “Usually we start from there, because we don't want to force fit products that won’t have demand.” 

Even modest levels of organic interest can signal opportunities for future growth. 

“Small interest is okay, at least there is interest, and then we build all our campaigns and all our efforts to have exponential growth for these types of products,” she added. 

The strategy appears to have paid off. Roqueza noted that while Vietnam delivered strong growth overall in 2025, Sa Pa emerged as one of the destination’s key growth contributors for Klook. 

Authenticity over control 

Central to Klook’s creator strategy is a deliberate reluctance to over-direct content. 

Unlike brands that tightly script influencer campaigns, Klook allows creators to tell stories in their own style, whether through travel vlogs, comedy skits, green-screen explainers or highly curated visual content. 

“The moment you try to control the way they do or post about their travel, or about anything they do for the brand, it will not seem as authentic,” Roqueza said. 

The philosophy reflects a growing recognition among marketers that creator influence is rooted less in reach than in credibility. Audiences follow creators for their unique perspectives and storytelling styles, not for brand-approved messaging. 

That authenticity also helps combat concerns around content saturation. 

While travel brands frequently promote the same destinations and attractions, Roqueza believes there remains significant room for reinvention through fresh angles and personal experiences. 

“I feel like there are dozens, hundreds of ways of making new content,” she said. 

Making inspiration shoppable 

However, inspiration alone is not enough. 

One of Klook’s key learnings has been the importance of connecting content directly to transactions. While viral moments can generate awareness, they only create business value when consumers can easily act on that interest. 

“I agree with this one,” Roqueza said when asked about the short lifespan of viral content. “You have to find a way for people to purchase your product.” 

This thinking has informed Klook’s investment in creator commerce infrastructure, including the launch of its Kreator Shop, which aggregates creator-generated content alongside bookable experiences. 

The objective is to ensure that viewers can immediately convert inspiration into action, whether they discover content on the day it is published or months after it goes viral. 

“It is very important that you close the loop for a way for people to purchase your product,” she added. 

The strategy has also extended into Klook Hotels, where creator reviews, platform-specific creative formats and social-first advertising have helped accelerate growth in the category. Despite entering a highly competitive segment, Roqueza said Klook’s hotel business achieved double-digit growth in 2025 compared with the previous year. 

Community, content and commerce 

Looking ahead, Roqueza believes successful social commerce strategies require three interconnected elements: community, content and commerce. 

Community focuses on nurturing relationships with creators through workshops, events and skills development. Content provides creators with distinctive experiences worth sharing, from concerts and destination trips to exclusive brand partnerships. Commerce ensures those experiences can ultimately generate transactions through the right technology and booking infrastructure. 

For Klook, the model is less about chasing trends than building an ecosystem where inspiration naturally leads to action. 

“I think inspiration for marketing is still very, very important,” Roqueza said. 

As social platforms continue to influence how consumers discover destinations, plan trips and make purchases, travel brands may increasingly find that the most valuable marketing asset is not the campaign itself, but the ability to seamlessly connect inspiration with conversion.

Step into PR Asia Philippines 2026 on 9 September in Manila, where communications leaders will unpack the realities of trust, nationalism, misinformation, and polarisation shaping the country’s evolving narrative landscape.

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