AI, Intent, and the Experience Economy:
What Klook’s Travel Pulse 2026 Means for Marketers

Despite economic uncertainty and rising living costs, global travelers aren’t pulling back. They’re spending more deliberately. New findings from Klook’s Travel Pulse 2026 show that 88 percent of travelers plan to maintain or increase their budgets this year, and nine in ten intend to travel internationally.

For marketers, that resilience changes the equation. Demand hasn’t disappeared; it has matured. Travelers are prioritizing meaningful experiences over material purchases and using digital tools to plan smarter, not cheaper. The brands that win will be those that guide discovery, simplify decisions, and stay present across the entire journey.

Millennial and Gen Z travelers are driving this shift. More influenced by social content and more comfortable with AI tools, they expect travel planning to feel personalized, seamless, and experience-led. Their behavior is rewriting how discovery, personalization, and performance marketing work.

From transactions to experiences

One of the clearest findings in the report is how spending priorities have evolved. Faced with higher prices, travelers are not cutting back on activities or attractions. Instead, they are reducing shopping and material purchases to protect their experience budgets.

This distinction matters. The center of value has moved away from things and toward moments. Activities, tours, and cultural immersion now represent the emotional core of a trip. Travelers want stories to tell, not souvenirs to store.

Asia Pacific is setting the pace. Travelers in the region show a significantly stronger willingness to increase spending on experiences compared with their counterparts in Europe and the United States. That appetite positions APAC as both the growth engine...