Deep local knowledge
Discover living traditions, everyday encounters and remarkable places through a team and network with a deep understanding of China.
ABOUT ARIATRAVEL Thoughtfully designed.
Thoughtfully designed.
Personally cared for.
Private journeys and small-group tours through China, combining local expertise, systematic planning and thoughtful personal service.
Meet our team ↓ WHAT YOUR JOURNEY IS BUILT ON 01 02 03
Local insight. Thoughtful standards. Personal care.
Precision behind the journey
Thoughtfully refined itineraries, carefully defined service standards and meticulous quality control bring consistency to the details.
Care for each individual
Technology makes the planning more efficient. People bring the attentiveness, warmth and personal touches that make a journey yours.
MEET THE PEOPLE BEHIND ARIATRAVEL
The expertise behind your experience.
Travel design, service quality and technology come together through the people who lead them.
A NOTE FROM LEON
Leon Lai
CEO · AriaTravel
Hi 你好 (Ni Hao), I’m Leon, CEO of AriaTravel.
People often ask me why I left investing for travel. The answer comes down to two words: passion and conviction.
Passion is the foundation. Over a 20-year career, travel has been the one pursuit I’ve never set aside. I started out as an engineer, deep in the world of internet technology, and went on to co-found a private investment firm. After 12 years in investing, I decided it was time for a new chapter: turning a love that has stayed with me all these years into a business worth committing to for the long term.
Conviction is the compass. We have long admired Apple’s product philosophy of standing at “the intersection of technology and liberal arts.” To us, great travel service is never a cold assembly of bookings, nor a cookie-cutter experience copied from one traveler to the next. It has craftsmanship and soul: professional and efficient, yet warm and genuinely caring.
That’s why I joined forces with two seasoned partners, both with nearly 30 years in travel, to build AriaTravel. They know the industry inside out and understand exactly what travelers need. I bring the systems thinking I’ve developed across technology, investing, and business. Guided by that same philosophy, we bring technology and humanity together at every stage of trip design and client service.
We believe the value of technology lies in efficiency, and the value of service lies in caring for each individual. In practice, that means refining our processes systematically, holding every trip to rigorous standards, and finishing each experience with thoughtful, personal touches.
Our hope is that every AriaTravel journey offers both the ease and efficiency of technology and the attentiveness and warmth that only people can bring.
Engineering-driven operations. Human-centered experiences.
TRAVEL DESIGN & OPERATIONS
Steven Zhang
COO & Head of Travel Design · AriaTravel
Having spent seven years living in the UK and exploring destinations around the world, I have developed a deep appreciation for different cultures and travel experiences. With over three years in the travel industry, I now serve as COO of AriaTravel, where I manage daily operations and guide our travel design team in crafting meaningful, personalized journeys that reveal the very best of China.
ITINERARIES & SERVICE QUALITY
Ronny Wu
CPO · AriaTravel
Behind every memorable journey is a carefully designed experience. As CPO of AriaTravel, I turn this philosophy into reality by shaping our travel portfolio, developing distinctive itineraries, and overseeing the quality of our services from planning to delivery. My priority is to ensure that every journey combines authentic local experiences with thoughtful arrangements and consistently high standards.
TECHNOLOGY & AI INITIATIVES
Philip Li
CTO · AriaTravel
I lead technology development and AI initiatives at AriaTravel to help make tailor-made journeys through China easier to plan and more personal. I bring 15 years of experience in software product development and engineering, including a previous technology leadership role at an internet company with around 1,000 employees.
AN ESTABLISHED FOUNDATION Deep roots.
Deep roots.
A personal approach.
AriaTravel draws on the heritage of a 5A-rated travel enterprise ranked among the top 30 of more than 60,000 travel agencies across China. With over twenty years of destination-management experience, the team and network behind our brand have helped welcome more than 1.8 million travelers to China.
Today, we bring that established foundation together with a dedicated international team and a more personal approach to experiencing China.
A journey that stays with you.
In opera, an aria is a moment of pure expression—a melody that stirs the soul and lingers long after the curtain falls. We believe an extraordinary journey should unfold in much the same way: beautifully paced, deeply meaningful and unforgettable.
May your journey be as captivating as an aria.
YOUR JOURNEY, THOUGHTFULLY CRAFTED
Talk to our team → Let’s plan your China journey
Tell us what draws you to China. We’ll help you find a way to explore that feels right for you.