photo by Almira Louise S. Martinez, BusinessWorld

According to a study by travel booking platform Klook, 89% of Filipinos select their travel destinations based on social media popularity, surpassing the regional average of 79%.

“We know that social media is a huge factor in really driving people to book their travel purchases,” Klook Philippines General Manager Michelle Ho said in a press briefing. 

The 2025 Travel Pulse research, which has 7,000 respondents, showed that Filipinos use Facebook (84%) as their top source of information for travel inspiration, followed by YouTube (73%), TikTok (69%), and Instagram (63%). 

The study added that quick travel content in the form of photos (67%) and short-form videos (62%) is the type of posts that attract most Filipinos. On the other hand, travelers use long-form videos (48%) and in-depth blog posts (45%) for deeper research on the destination and tours. 

Ms. Ho noted that although TikTok is the third most popular application among travelers, Filipinos are two times more likely to engage with the platform’s videos.  

Klook also reported a 20% increase in Q1 2025 versus Q4 2024 on its Kreator-generated sales.  

Vietnam, for example, has experienced a 157% increase in revenue for tourism services and products made on Klook after content creators posted their travels.  

“Social media has played a huge role in elevating the popularity of Sapa,” Ms. Ho said.  “We’ve seen a triple-digit growth for Filipinos travelling to Vietnam these days.” 

Apart from Vietnam, the study revealed that Taiwan and Thailand are also experiencing a rise in Filipino tourists, with 120% and 78% growth in 2024 versus 2023, respectively.  

For domestic travel, Ms. Ho shared that Manila remains the top destination for weekend getaways, while Tagaytay, Boracay, Cebu, and Bohol are popular destinations.  

Surigao and Siargao have also been gaining traction and popularity recently, the Klook executive said. 

“What’s interesting is that you’ve got your core destinations, rising in terms of popularity, and at the same time, lesser-known destinations are being talked about,” Ms. Ho said.   

“And we’re actually paying close attention to that, because we feel that in the next few months, this could really rise in the tourism industry,” she added. – Almira Louise S. Martinez