Klook Partners West Japan Railway (JR-West)

Klook has partnered with West Japan Railway (JR-West).

Through the partnership, travelers across all of Klook's markets in Southeast Asia will enjoy a range of new initiatives, including:

* Seamless ticket redemption: Klook is one of the first companies to launch JR-West's innovative e-ticket services. After making a purchase on Klook's website and mobile app, travelers can then redeem their JR-West tickets via train station vending machines.

* Combo packages: New combo packages, which combine a JR-West Rail Pass with popular experiences such as Harukas 300 Observatory tickets, and other selected local activities will be made available to customers.

* Marketing collaborations: The two companies will jointly launch a series of co-marketing initiatives, such as upcoming Klook Travel Festivals in Philippines and Malaysia.

"Southeast Asia has always been an important region for Klook. With this partnership, we look forward to bringing more visitors from the region to western Japan and beyond," said Ethan Lin, Klook's CEO and Co-Founder. "Through our hyper-localized go-to-market strategy, creative marketing campaigns and easy-to-use interface created specially for rail products, we believe our extensive global outreach and strong brand recognition in Southeast Asia will help propel this partnership to greater heights."

Tourism in western Japan has been growing rapidly. The number of visitors to the region in 2018 increased by 41% compared with 2016, and the region is expected to welcome over 13 million international tourists by 2020.

Similarly, Klook has seen a growing demand from Southeast Asian travelers for both activities and rail bookings in western Japan. Between August 2018 and August 2019, the company more than doubled its activities bookings along the popular western Japan rail routes in destinations such as Kyoto, Nara and Kobe.

Klook has also seen rail grow to become a preferred mode of transport among FITs who are visiting western Japan, with nearly a 500% increase in rail services bookings made in the same period.

"We are excited to work with Klook to promote the beauty of western Japan," said Hiroshi Muro, Executive Officer, Senior General Manager of Marketing Department of JR-West. "The region has enormous potential for attracting overseas travelers, with its scenic nature, World Heritage sites, unique culture and lots of hidden gems to be explored. A flexible JR-West Rail Pass will enable you to hop on and off as you please and easily experience the culture, food and nature of this region. Collaborating with Klook allows us to better engage with today's travelers through the company's global network, rapidly growing consumer base, and convenient mobile platform. With Klook's leadership position, especially in Southeast Asia, our rail services will be more accessible to the region and beyond."

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