NEW YORK, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Klook, a travel booking

services company, has hired investment banks to help arrange a

potential initial public offering in the U.S., according to two

people with knowledge of the matter.

The Hong Kong-based company, backed by investors including

SoftBank Group and Goldman Sachs Group ( GS ), is

working with bankers at Goldman, Morgan Stanley ( MS ) and

JPMorgan ( JPM ) on the planned first-time share sale, said the

people, asking not to be identified as the process is private.

The deal could come as early as this year and raise around

$500 million, they said, cautioning that the timing and deal

size are subject to market conditions.

U.S. IPO activity has gained momentum, bolstered by strong

tech earnings and signs of progress in trade negotiations that

have restored investor confidence.

Recent listings, including cryptocurrency exchange operator

Bullish, and design software company Figma ( FIG ),

underscore the uptick in market debuts, reversing a period in

the year when uncertainty over President Donald Trump's tariff

policies weighed on new offerings.

Klook, Goldman Sachs ( GS ) and JPMorgan ( JPM ) declined to comment.

Morgan Stanley ( MS ) did not respond to a request for comment.

It was not immediately clear whether Klook will be selling a

stake in the IPO, or whether it will be an investor sell-down or

a combination of both.

Bloomberg News reported earlier the company was exploring a

U.S. IPO.

Founded in 2014, Klook turned profitable in 2023. It

provides various booking services to travelers across a range of

locations globally and competes with other global travel booking

sites such as Booking.com and TripAdvisor ( TRIP ), as well as China's

Trip.com ( TCOM ) and South Korea's Yanolja.

The company said in February it had raised $100 million in a

funding round led by European investment firm Vitruvian

Partners, but did not disclose its valuation at the time. Other

investors in Klook include HSG, formerly known as Sequoia

Capital China.

(Reporting by Echo Wang in New York, Julie Zhu in Hong Kong;

Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)