Klook launches foreigner-friendly express booking service

A promotional image about Klook's express bus booking system [KLOOK]

Tourists can now book express bus tickets on Klook using international credit cards and payment systems, the company said Thursday.

Klook launched the service on its website and application, and it accepts 41 payment methods, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Union Pay, Apple Pay, Alipay and PayPal.

Users are required to verify their phone numbers when they sign up for Klook but they don't have to be Korean phone numbers.

The new service follows Klook signing a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Tourism Organization in May last year to create a foreigner-friendly express bus booking platform.

For instance, the existing express bus booking application requires users to verify their identity with a Korean phone number, making it difficult for foreigners to purchase tickets.

"With foreign tourists now able to easily book express buses, which is a key mode of transportation, we hope they get to visit many attractive tourist destinations in not just Seoul, but also in other regions," Lee Jun-ho, the general manager of Klook's Korean business, said. "Klook will do its best to boost Korea's tourism industry and enhance convenience for visitors this year."

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]