Klook partners with JNTO to offer new Japan travel ideas

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Japan is one of the most popular destinations for Hong Kong outbound travelers. According to JNTO's statistics on visitor arrivals in Japan, Hong Kong is ranked 4th globally claiming 7.6% of the total number of overseas visitors. In 2016, close to 1.84 million visitors traveled from Hong Kong to Japan, with 20.7% visiting ten times or more. Hong Kong is the top-ranked location for repeat visitors to Japan with travelers coming for shopping, eating, beauty services and seasonal appreciation.

Specializing in in-destination services, Hong Kong-based Klook currently covers over 2,000 activities in Japan, partnering directly with major theme parks, railways and local activities operators, helping them reach Free Independent Travelers (FITs) globally. Since its establishment in 2014, Klook has brought over 1 million independent travelers to Japan.

Klook offers a variety of iconic attractions and travel essentials in Japan, such as Universal Studios Japan, JR passes, WiFi and SIM cards. In November 2017, Klook set up a local team in Japan to establish partnership with local service providers in order to cater to the growing demand for more experiential, lesser-known and niche activities on its website and app.

The collaboration between Klook and JNTO kicked off with introducing travel inspiration and "Yurutabi", a new Japan travel concept, to Hong Kong travelers. The joint campaign from Klook and JNTO features the famous Hong Kong band ToNick in fun videos trying all-you-can-drink sake tasting in Tokyo, samurai dress up, and a sushi making class in Osaka.

"Hong Kong has become one of the most important markets for Japanese tourism with a huge population of returning travelers annually," commented Hiroshi Yakumaru, Executive Director of JNTO Hong Kong, "Seeing this hot trend of digital and smart traveling, we believe that by joining hands with one of Asia's top travel tech companies, Klook, we can help more Hong Kong visitors explore not only the charm of Japanese cities but also local regions, and expect new trends to be created by enabling bookings of more unique activities and experiences."

"Japan is one of the top destinations for Klook. We continue to hear strong interest from travelers worldwide wanting to visit Japan to experience local cultures but the biggest barriers are language and lack of booking tools," said Eric Gnock Fah, Klook's Co-founder and President, "We are excited to partner with JNTO and our Japanese activities providers to promote unique Japanese cultures and tradition and make them easily accessible through Klook platforms."

"We have established a local team in Japan to work closely with local operators and help connect Japan to the rapidly changing global travel environment," said Candy Chiun, Klook's Country Manager for Japan, "We have been launching activities in the more undiscovered areas of Japan and we will continue to refine our product curation to ensure travelers enjoy quality and diverse experiences."

About Klook

Klook is Asia's largest in-destination services booking platform that gives travelers a simple and trusted way to conveniently book and enjoy over 30,000 popular attractions, local experiences, and services around the world. Klook's network of over 3,000 direct partners includes world-famous attractions such as Disneyland, Universal Studios, to locally recognized operators such as Hong Kong's Ngong Ping 360, Bangkok Blue Elephant Cooking School, and more. Klook's quality services have garnered over 1 million verified user reviews.

Founded in Hong Kong in 2014, Klook has been recognized by globally-renowned media and awards including Forbes, Deloitte Fast Technology, Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and many others. Klook's mobile app has also been awarded Best of the Year by both Apple App Store and Google Play and has been featured over 100 times as the go-to app for trip planning. With a team of over 400 across 13 offices, Klook's services are available in 7 languages, supporting over 30 currencies. Klook has raised close to US$100 million investment from world-renowned investors such as Goldman Sachs, Sequoia.

About Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO)

JNTO is involved in a broad range of activities to encourage travelers to explore Japan both domestically and overseas. JNTO maintains 20 offices in key cities around the world, through which a wide range of tourism-related promotions are carried out. Each overseas office is responsible for promoting travel and tourism to Japan; one of the most important functions is to help the travel industry encourage their customers to visit Japan.

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