When it comes to pricing, you’ll always find lower prices waiting for you. In China, we call this “卷” (juan)—a term that doesn’t really have a direct English equivalent. It describes an environment of intense competition where everyone keeps pushing prices and offerings lower and higher at the same time. In other words, it’s a market that is “hyper-competitive,” or more precisely, “can’t get any more competitive than this.”
If you look at my resume, you’ll see that I’m a translator. The translation and interpreting industry is, without exception, known for being highly “juan”—extremely competitive.
So when I cautiously stepped into the tourism sector, I had a simple hope: that perhaps this industry might be a little less “juan” than the world of translation and interpreting.
Which, of course, is not quite what I expected. Even in the most competitive market, you can still occasionally secure a deal. However, the chances of securing a deal at a reasonable price are slim—which brings me back to the first point: there always seems to be lower prices out there.
I’ve done the calculations repeatedly in my mind, and I keep arriving at the same conclusion: how do my competitors actually make a profit?
Now let me be serious. Perhaps they do make a profit—just an extremely thin one. Of course, no one, especially the travelers, really pays attention to how much profit they make.
But when the margin is so small, it inevitably changes the way people work. With so little room left, it becomes hard for anyone to truly invest attention, care, or energy into the job.
For most travelers, a destination is a once-in-a-lifetime or at least a once-in-a-long-while experience. Naturally, price remains an important consideration in decision-making. However, in the process of comparing options, many people tend to overlook the real value of a tailor-made journey.
For most travelers, a destination is a once-in-a-lifetime or at least a once-in-a-long-while experience. Naturally, price remains an important consideration in decision-making. However, in the process of comparing options, many people tend to overlook the real value of a tailor-made journey.
Travel is never a single-variable equation. Behind every itinerary lie countless factors that shape the final experience: timing, pacing, weather, hotel location, traffic conditions, crowd levels, seasonal peaks, guide quality, and even small on-the-ground decisions that are often invisible in advance. A slight adjustment in departure time can change whether you see a landmark in calm morning light or in a crowded rush. A different hotel location can mean either a relaxing evening stroll or an hour lost in traffic. Even the choice between two similar attractions can lead to completely different emotional impressions.
This is where customization becomes meaningful. A well-designed itinerary is not just about listing attractions, but about sequencing them thoughtfully, balancing intensity with rest, and adapting to the traveler’s interests, physical condition, and expectations. It is the difference between simply “visiting places” and genuinely “experiencing a destination.”
In this sense, while price is easy to compare, the true value of a journey is often hidden in these details—details that only become visible after the trip has begun, when it is already too late to adjust.