Kuala Lumpur, 9 November 2023 — PADI® (Professional Association of Diving Instructors®) and Klook, Asia’s leading travel and experiences platform, today announced a world-wide partnership that will see PADI’s diving products globally integrated on Klook’s platform. Today, PADI has more than 7,200 diving products that span from certification courses, snorkelling, fun dives and more across the world.
PADI is the world’s largest purpose-driven diving organisation and Klook is currently the only OTA in Asia Pacific collaborating with the organisation. Consumers can now book diving experiences in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Japan, Korea, China and Singapore on the Klook platform, with more destinations to come online in the following months.
PADI and Klook formalizing the partnership underwater in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt
Every year, about one million people go through the lengthy, detailed and technical process of planning a dive trip to get certified – from selecting the perfect dive site and haggling for dive packages to coordinating travel and no-fly times. The integration of diving products on Klook’s platform through API will help shorten a booking journey that could have taken days to just under 5 minutes. Consumers will be able to easily compare prices, check availability, read reviews, book and receive immediate confirmation – in a seamless way on one platform.
“Joining forces with Klook is set to simplify the journey to becoming a certified PADI Scuba Diver” says Manuel Kraemer, Vice President of Business Development for PADI Worldwide. “With 6,600 PADI Dive Centers and Resorts in 184 countries worldwide and with more than 7,200 products already bookable online on PADI.com, our collaboration is poised for an exciting expansion. As we progress, this extensive selection will become available for booking on Asia’s leading booking platform. Today, on Klook, you can seek adventure and save the ocean on nearly any holiday destination around the world”.
With a willingness to spend more on experiences, specifically nature and outdoor activities, young Asian travellers will want to make the most of their vacation and seek to include experiences like scuba diving into their plans. In 2023, China, Japan and Korea recorded the highest number of new PADI-certified divers in Asia. In 2024, the Asia Pacific diving tourism industry is set to not only fully recover but exceed the market size in 2019, and as demand continues to grow, the region’s revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.2% from 2022- 2030.
Chuan Sheng (C.S.) Soong, VP, Corporate Development, Klook said, “We’re excited to announce this strategic partnership with PADI, and to bring greater access with a seamless booking experience to the diving community. There is tremendous enthusiasm and dedication for diving across Asia Pacific and we want to bring more joy to this community with our platform. At Klook, we continue to expand our offerings to create more exciting, unique and holistic experiences for our customers. This presents the perfect opportunity to inspire a completely new segment of travellers to the captivating beauty of the underwater world.”
In line with PADI’s mission to explore and protect the underwater world and Klook’s goal to bring the world closer together, PADI and Klook are launching UNIVER-SEA-TY, a pilot program to inspire newcomers to dive and give them the ‘fins’ to explore the magical underwater world. To kick start the program, 33 lucky winners will be given a chance to earn an Open Water Diver certification with PADI in their dive location of choice.
There are two ways to enter the contest:
- Via Instagram – Comment on Klook’s post and share why you want to dive and tag 3 friends
- Via Facebook – Comment on Klook’s post and share why you want to dive and tag 3 friends
Winners will be notified in December 2023 via the respective social media channels and receive an E-gift card to book their complimentary Open Water Dive Certification that they can redeem within the year.