Tourism delegates visit the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Palawan on April 11,  2024 as part of the Palawan leg of the Philippine Experience: Culture, Heritage and Arts Caravan. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is part of the Department of Tourism’s project which aims to expand the country’s tourism portfolio while highlighting the Filipino identity. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News 

MANILA -- Many Filipinos choose where to go on vacation because of a place's popularity on social media, travel booking app Klook said Tuesday.

Citing its Travel Pulse research, Klook said some 84 percent of Filipinos in its survey look for travel inspiration from Facebook, and 73 percent turn to YouTube. Klook Philippines General Manager Michelle Ho also noted that 69 percent of Pinoys now get travel ideas from TikTok.

Photos and short-form videos that last less than 10 minutes are the top sources of travel plans for Pinoys, along with longer videos and blog posts.

Klook said 98.5 percent of Filipinos it surveyed plan to travel locally and internationally this year, with Vietnam, Thailand, and Taiwan growing as popular travel destinations. Japan and Hong Kong are still popular tourist spots, Ho noted.

Ho also noted that Manila remains a top tourist destination for those looking for a weekend escapade.

"But on top of that, Tagaytay, Boracay, Cebu, Bohol--these are still popular destinations. Surigao is actually gaining a lot of traction as well, not to mention Siargao," she said.

"So I think what's interesting is that you've got your core destination still...rising into popularity, but at the same time, lesser-known destinations are being talked about online."

"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 said.

Klook also noted that Filipinos seem to see travel as a form of therapy.

The travel app said 78.4 percent use travel "as a getaway for a mental break," with 31.6 percent of them choosing to visit a nature retreat.

It noted, however, that work (58.4 percent), financial constraints (57.7 percent ), and lack of time (55.1 percent ) often hinder Pinoys from traveling as much as they want to.