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Klook's study of 374,000 reviews finds that lesser-known cities create deeper emotional connection with travelers

Business

Klook's study of 374,000 reviews finds that lesser-known cities create deeper emotional connection with travelers
Business

Business

Klook's study of 374,000 reviews finds that lesser-known cities create deeper emotional connection with travelers

2026-01-20 15:40 Last Updated At:17:50

SINGAPORE, Jan. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Klook, a leading pan-regional experiences platform in Asia Pacific, finds from traveler reviews that people choose different destinations to fulfil different jobs-to-be-done.

When time is limited, better-known cities serve the role of enabling travelers to step out of their everyday routines efficiently, offering familiarity, convenience, and pace control.

Lesser-known cities fulfil a different job. They let travelers connect with a destination, inviting travelers to experience the place in a more immersive and unstructured way.

All Klook reviews are submitted by verified travelers who completed their experiences, giving Klook a clear view of authentic traveler sentiment at scale.

Travelers to lesser-known cities tell richer stories about their experiences

Reviews of activities and experiences in lesser-known cities stand out for their vivid storytelling and deeper emotional depth, often revealing more of the reviewer's personality, voice, and perspective.

On top of describing the things-they-do, they reflect on the people they met, the moments that surprised them, and the memories that stayed with them.

Experiences in lesser-known cities appear to leave a deeper, longer-lasting impression, extending the joy of travel beyond the trip itself.

Below are five verbatim excerpts from traveler reviews, redacted for readability:

A flight that sparked a passion — Hobart, Australia
Introductory Flying Experience 

My Unforgettable Introductory Flight Experience

 

I had an incredible introductory flight experience in a Cessna, and it was truly unforgettable. From the moment I arrived, I felt excited and safe under the guidance of professional instructors.

 

Flying the plane was thrilling! I got a chance to take the controls and learned about the mechanical aspects of the aircraft, which was both fun and educational. The experience offered great value for money, combining excitement with knowledge.

 

Overall, this adventure has sparked a passion for flying in me. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a unique experience!

My Unforgettable Introductory Flight Experience

 

I had an incredible introductory flight experience in a Cessna, and it was truly unforgettable. From the moment I arrived, I felt excited and safe under the guidance of professional instructors.

 

Flying the plane was thrilling! I got a chance to take the controls and learned about the mechanical aspects of the aircraft, which was both fun and educational. The experience offered great value for money, combining excitement with knowledge.

 

Overall, this adventure has sparked a passion for flying in me. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a unique experience!

A wondrous walking tour — Nara, Japan
Temple and Craft Beer Tour

A wonderful guide and a wonderful walking tour… our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly… I took lots of pictures for memories and we learned so much about everything on the tour… he recommended a wonderful beer that I enjoyed greatly at a beautiful brewery… the entire day was amazing and will definitely recommend this tour.

A wonderful guide and a wonderful walking tour… our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly… I took lots of pictures for memories and we learned so much about everything on the tour… he recommended a wonderful beer that I enjoyed greatly at a beautiful brewery… the entire day was amazing and will definitely recommend this tour.

A paddleboarding trip that shaped the next travel goal — Bohol, Philippines
Napaling Reef Stand-Up Paddle Board Experience

It was a super fun trip. The store should be a professional diving school. We booked a two-person cliff SUP paddle board. There were two instructors for two people. It was super safe, beautiful, fun, and friendly. It was really recommended. I beg everyone to try it. It was so fun that I fainted. I could take a shower after the trip, and they provided clean towels! I plan to learn free diving next time! I recommend it 10,000 times. It is absolutely worth the money!

It was a super fun trip. The store should be a professional diving school. We booked a two-person cliff SUP paddle board. There were two instructors for two people. It was super safe, beautiful, fun, and friendly. It was really recommended. I beg everyone to try it. It was so fun that I fainted. I could take a shower after the trip, and they provided clean towels! I plan to learn free diving next time! I recommend it 10,000 times. It is absolutely worth the money!

A sanctuary experience grounded in care — Chiang Mai, Thailand
Elephant Discovery Experience

Most memorable trip in Chang Mai. It was very touching, and our guide, Nine, is an expert when it comes to elephants. I was teary eyed when I heard the elephants roar, that's before I even saw them. Im 100% sure that the sanctuary is taking good care of them because I saw that they are healthy and very playful.

Most memorable trip in Chang Mai. It was very touching, and our guide, Nine, is an expert when it comes to elephants. I was teary eyed when I heard the elephants roar, that's before I even saw them. Im 100% sure that the sanctuary is taking good care of them because I saw that they are healthy and very playful.

*Klook worked with elephant welfare experts to develop an assessment framework that supports higher welfare standards for captive elephants and their local communities. Find them here.

An island escape defined by joy — Phu Quoc, Vietnam
Experience Island Life 

This activity is well worth participating in. You can experience different water sports as well as the sun and beach. In addition, the staff's service is outstanding, so I can enjoy the entire vacation without any worries. The food throughout the trip was also very delicious, and there was a dedicated person to help you barbecue. It was a joy to live. There are clean restrooms and shower rooms on the island, and there are soft mattresses, pillows and fans in the tents, so you can get a very good sleep quality. All in all, the fee of more than HK$500 is excellent value for money.

This activity is well worth participating in. You can experience different water sports as well as the sun and beach. In addition, the staff's service is outstanding, so I can enjoy the entire vacation without any worries. The food throughout the trip was also very delicious, and there was a dedicated person to help you barbecue. It was a joy to live. There are clean restrooms and shower rooms on the island, and there are soft mattresses, pillows and fans in the tents, so you can get a very good sleep quality. All in all, the fee of more than HK$500 is excellent value for money.

"We study traveler reviews because they offer a window into what travelers value, and serve as a mirror for Klook to reflect on the quality of our offerings," says David Liu, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Klook.

"Reviews are especially important for high-value travel experiences, where the cost isn't just monetary but also time and opportunity," he says. "Travelers have a limited amount of time in any destination, and reading about others' experiences helps them make more informed decisions about how best to spend those precious resources."

How traveler reviews inform continuous improvement for Klook

Klook analyzes traveler reviews and packaged them into concise, actionable insights to help merchants refine their offerings and raise service standards.

For instance, Klook identified recurring feedback about long wait times — even for travelers with pre-purchased tickets — at a certain venue entrance. This feedback was shared with the merchant, leading to the launch of a premium ticket option that enables fast-track entry. The solution was subsequently productized into a scalable "skip-the-line" feature, now deployed across multiple Klook offerings.

In another instance, Klook found that more than 70% of travelers cited flexible time-slot changes as a key factor in selecting a merchant for timed reservations. In response, Klook introduced "by day" and "by time slot" booking amendment options. This added flexibility benefits both travelers and merchants, allowing travelers to adjust plans easily, while helping merchants reduce no-shows and refund requests.

David says: "By incorporating traveler reviews into product and platform improvements, Klook creates a virtuous loop: supporting merchants, enhancing traveler experiences, and strengthening the broader travel ecosystem."

AI-powered tools to make reviews easier and more accessible to travelers

To encourage more travelers to share feedback, Klook has introduced AI-assisted review tools, including automatic speech recognition and AI text polishing.

These features reduce friction in the review process, making it easier for travelers to share their experiences while preserving the authenticity of each individual voice. The result is richer feedback for future travelers and more actionable insights for merchants. Since its rollout, 75.4% of users who engaged with the feature have submitted a review.

As of 30 September 2025, Klook has accumulated approximately 13 million verified user reviews on its platform.

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

Klook's study of 374,000 reviews finds that lesser-known cities create deeper emotional connection with travelers

Klook's study of 374,000 reviews finds that lesser-known cities create deeper emotional connection with travelers

Klook's study of 374,000 reviews finds that lesser-known cities create deeper emotional connection with travelers

Klook's study of 374,000 reviews finds that lesser-known cities create deeper emotional connection with travelers

Thoughtworks' agentic development platform developed to support both technology modernization and greenfield development.

CHICAGO, Jan. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Thoughtworks, a global technology consultancy that integrates design, engineering and AI to drive digital innovation, today announced the launch of AI/works™, a new agentic development platform that sets the standard for modernizing legacy systems and building new industrial-grade technology products and platforms in the AI era. We believe the platform allows us to build higher quality technology while fundamentally improving the economics of the building, maintaining, and operating enterprise-grade technologies.

For decades, Thoughtworks has shaped many of the practices that define modern software delivery, including Agile, microservices and continuous delivery. AI/works™ extends that lineage into the AI era by unifying legacy system understanding, requirements enhancement, dynamic automated specifications generation, and agentic code generation and testing in one platform built for complex enterprise environments.

AI adoption is accelerating across industries, yet many organizations remain limited by the gap between AI ambition and legacy system reality. While emerging agentic platforms often assume clean-slate architectures or narrow productivity enhancements, AI/works™ is engineered for the hybrid conditions in which enterprises operate.

AI/works™ brings these worlds into one continuous flow. Our first set of clients building on AI/works™ show modernization cycles that once took years can now be completed in months, with significant cost reductions and dramatic time-to-market improvements, all while generating higher quality code.

The platform enables Thoughtworks' 3-3-3 delivery model, providing a path from idea to production in 90 days, and plays well with leading ecosystems including AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Databricks and Snowflake. Through a collaboration with Mechanical Orchard, AI/works also supports deep mainframe renewal.

"Every CEO and CIO I meet is trying to unlock AI value inside the reality of their existing systems, not in idealized greenfield environments," said Mike Sutcliff, CEO of Thoughtworks. "AI/works™ is built for those conditions. It understands the systems organizations have, accelerates the systems they need next and keeps everything current as the landscape shifts. The magic comes from the combination of the platform and our deeply talented technologists. Together they deliver results with speed and confidence."

AI/works™ uses AI-enabled reverse engineering to interpret legacy applications and convert them into structured specifications enriched with regulatory, security and industry context. These specifications guide agentic workflows that generate production-grade code, automated tests and deployment pipelines. Once deployed, the platform continuously regenerates affected components as requirements evolve, reducing reliance on manual patching and avoiding large-scale rebuilds.

Agentic engineering is emerging quickly as a competitive category. Several major firms are entering the space, yet most tools focus on accelerating new code rather than solving the structural challenges enterprises face.

"AI/works™ stands out because it addresses the entire lifecycle, from understanding and renewing legacy systems to building what comes next," said R "Ray" Wang, CEO at Constellation Research. "This sets a new bar for the category."

AI/works™ is available now through a co-innovation program. Broader availability will expand through Thoughtworks' AI that works initiative and Q1 launch activities. Organizations can request a demo at https://www.thoughtworks.com/ai/works

Supporting resources

About Thoughtworks

Thoughtworks is a global technology consultancy that integrates design, engineering and AI to drive digital innovation. The company has more than 10,000 employees across 47 offices in 18 countries. For more than 30 years, Thoughtworks has delivered impact with its clients by solving complex business challenges with technology as the differentiator.

Media contacts

Justine Manche
VP, Brand and Communications
Email: justine.manche@thoughtworks.com

Kathrin Jansing
Head of Public Relations for Europe and interim for Americas
Email: kathrin.jansing@thoughtworks.com

Michelle Surendran
Head of Public Relations for APAC and India
Email: michels@thoughtworks.com

Photo - https://mma.prnasia.com/media2/2864296/Thoughtworks_AI_works_Agentic_AI_platform.jpg?p=medium600
Photo - https://mma.prnasia.com/media2/1554341/ThoughtWorks_v1_Logo.jpg?p=medium600  

Thoughtworks' agentic development platform developed to support both technology modernization and greenfield development.

CHICAGO, Jan. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Thoughtworks, a global technology consultancy that integrates design, engineering and AI to drive digital innovation, today announced the launch of AI/works™, a new agentic development platform that sets the standard for modernizing legacy systems and building new industrial-grade technology products and platforms in the AI era. We believe the platform allows us to build higher quality technology while fundamentally improving the economics of the building, maintaining, and operating enterprise-grade technologies.

For decades, Thoughtworks has shaped many of the practices that define modern software delivery, including Agile, microservices and continuous delivery. AI/works™ extends that lineage into the AI era by unifying legacy system understanding, requirements enhancement, dynamic automated specifications generation, and agentic code generation and testing in one platform built for complex enterprise environments.

AI adoption is accelerating across industries, yet many organizations remain limited by the gap between AI ambition and legacy system reality. While emerging agentic platforms often assume clean-slate architectures or narrow productivity enhancements, AI/works™ is engineered for the hybrid conditions in which enterprises operate.

AI/works™ brings these worlds into one continuous flow. Our first set of clients building on AI/works™ show modernization cycles that once took years can now be completed in months, with significant cost reductions and dramatic time-to-market improvements, all while generating higher quality code.

The platform enables Thoughtworks' 3-3-3 delivery model, providing a path from idea to production in 90 days, and plays well with leading ecosystems including AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Databricks and Snowflake. Through a collaboration with Mechanical Orchard, AI/works also supports deep mainframe renewal.

"Every CEO and CIO I meet is trying to unlock AI value inside the reality of their existing systems, not in idealized greenfield environments," said Mike Sutcliff, CEO of Thoughtworks. "AI/works™ is built for those conditions. It understands the systems organizations have, accelerates the systems they need next and keeps everything current as the landscape shifts. The magic comes from the combination of the platform and our deeply talented technologists. Together they deliver results with speed and confidence."

AI/works™ uses AI-enabled reverse engineering to interpret legacy applications and convert them into structured specifications enriched with regulatory, security and industry context. These specifications guide agentic workflows that generate production-grade code, automated tests and deployment pipelines. Once deployed, the platform continuously regenerates affected components as requirements evolve, reducing reliance on manual patching and avoiding large-scale rebuilds.

Agentic engineering is emerging quickly as a competitive category. Several major firms are entering the space, yet most tools focus on accelerating new code rather than solving the structural challenges enterprises face.

"AI/works™ stands out because it addresses the entire lifecycle, from understanding and renewing legacy systems to building what comes next," said R "Ray" Wang, CEO at Constellation Research. "This sets a new bar for the category."

AI/works™ is available now through a co-innovation program. Broader availability will expand through Thoughtworks' AI that works initiative and Q1 launch activities. Organizations can request a demo at https://www.thoughtworks.com/ai/works

Supporting resources

About Thoughtworks

Thoughtworks is a global technology consultancy that integrates design, engineering and AI to drive digital innovation. The company has more than 10,000 employees across 47 offices in 18 countries. For more than 30 years, Thoughtworks has delivered impact with its clients by solving complex business challenges with technology as the differentiator.

Media contacts

Justine Manche
VP, Brand and Communications
Email: justine.manche@thoughtworks.com

Kathrin Jansing
Head of Public Relations for Europe and interim for Americas
Email: kathrin.jansing@thoughtworks.com

Michelle Surendran
Head of Public Relations for APAC and India
Email: michels@thoughtworks.com

Photo - https://mma.prnasia.com/media2/2864296/Thoughtworks_AI_works_Agentic_AI_platform.jpg?p=medium600
Photo - https://mma.prnasia.com/media2/1554341/ThoughtWorks_v1_Logo.jpg?p=medium600  

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

AI/works™ heralds a new era of Agile and next-generation software development

AI/works™ heralds a new era of Agile and next-generation software development

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