Klook, a travel experience platform, has raised a fresh USD 100 million in funding, with the latest investment led by Vitruvian Partners. The capital injection will support the company’s next phase of growth, with a focus on improving customer experience, streamlining merchant operations, and enhancing internal productivity through deeper artificial intelligence integration. Klook also plans to collaborate with tourism boards across the Asia Pacific to create greater community value.
A major player in Asia Pacific’s travel sector, Klook offers services ranging from attraction tickets and local activities to transportation, including rail passes, private car hires, and rentals.
Founded in 2014, Klook has raised more than USD 1 billion across eight funding rounds. Early backers include Matrix Partners China, which provided Klook’s first USD 5 million round in 2015, as well as Sequoia Capital, Boyu Capital, Goldman Sachs, and SoftBank. Before this latest investment, Klook’s most recent round was a USD 210 million Series E+ round in December 2023.
Klook was co-founded in Hong Kong by Ethan Lin, Eric Gnock Fah, and Bernie Xiong. Lin and Gnock Fah, both from investment banking backgrounds, started the company after experiencing difficulties booking activities during a trip to Nepal. While online platforms had simplified flight and hotel bookings, finding and reserving local experiences remained a fragmented and often frustrating process.
For independent travelers, immersion in a destination is key—whether it’s riding Japan’s Shinkansen, hiking an Indonesian volcano, or dining at hidden-gem restaurants. Yet many of these experiences required phone reservations, presenting language barriers and logistical challenges. Seeing an opportunity, the co-founders built Klook to bridge the gap between supply and demand for personalized travel experiences.
Curating unique travel experiences became Klook’s breakthrough strategy. Today, the company’s global supply chain is said to span over 2,700 destinations, offering more than 500,000 activities and travel products.
“Over the past decade, Klook has established itself as the go-to platform for travel experiences in Asia Pacific, reimagining how travelers discover and connect with destinations,” said Ethan Lin, Klook’s co-founder and CEO.
The company has built a strong localized business development team with hundreds of professionals worldwide. “Klook’s track record of innovation, commitment to customer experience, and deep market expertise make it uniquely positioned to lead the transformation of travel experiences in [the] Asia Pacific,” said Sophie Bower-Straziota, partner at Vitruvian Partners.
In Japan, one of Klook’s key travel markets, its offerings go beyond major attractions like Universal Studios Japan and Tokyo Disneyland. In recent years, it has expanded into essential transportation services such as the JR Pass and Shinkansen, partnered with over 100 Michelin-starred restaurants, and introduced activities like tea ceremonies, sushi-making workshops, and shopping discounts—providing a holistic experience for visitors.
Additionally, Klook leverages its Kreator program, a network of travel enthusiasts who test and provide feedback on experiences, helping refine its product offerings to better suit modern travelers.
Klook is often compared to Trip.com, but An Wen, general manager of Klook’s China business, offered a different perspective: “If we had to use one term to describe our business, we are more like the Asian version of Trip.com plus Meituan.” While Klook operates in the online travel agency (OTA) space, its focus extends beyond flights and hotels, diving deeper into local experiences and services.
Asia remains Klook’s primary market. According to the Pacific Asia Travel Association’s 2024–2026 travel forecast, the number of international travelers to the Asia Pacific region is expected to grow from 619 million in 2024 to 762 million in 2026, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
While Klook has not disclosed its latest financials following this funding round, it previously reported strong 2023 results. That year, the company generated approximately USD 3 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) and achieved overall profitability. Monthly active users (MAU) reached about 50 million, with customers spanning mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. Klook also contributed roughly USD 7.2 billion to the Asia Pacific economy and supported the creation of more than 219,000 jobs in 2023.
In China, Klook is actively expanding its inbound tourism business. “With the relaxation of visa-free and transit visa exemption policies last year, inbound tourism has surged,” An said. “We are helping millions of overseas Klook users book travel experiences in China.”
In May 2023, reports surfaced about Klook’s potential US IPO, but co-founder Eric Gnock Fah said at the time that there was “no definitive timeline.” At the company’s tenth-anniversary press conference in 2024, management reiterated that while an IPO remains under consideration, there are no concrete plans at this time.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This article was written by Ren Cairu for 36Kr.