What to know | Private Travel founders Irwin Chen and David Yang on building a luxury travel business together

Private Travel was co-founded by Irwin Chen and David. The two met during a self-guided trip to Hong Kong in 2008 when they shared the cost of carpooling. The company has been established for about seven years and has grown into a representative brand of high-end customized tourism in Taiwan. In 2024, its revenue exceeded NT$100 million. Its cooperative hotel brands include international groups such as Peninsula, Marriott, Four Seasons, Hyatt, Mandarin Oriental and Capella.

How did the two of them transform from traveling companions to entrepreneurial partners?

Irwin Chen and David Yang continued to keep in touch after they met. When Irwin Chen was studying hotel management, he obtained a job opportunity at the Four Seasons Hotel in French Polynesia. He found that other hotels under the same group were recruiting talents, so he asked David Yang, who originally studied law and later switched to the tourism industry, if he was interested in joining. As the only Taiwanese on the island, the two quickly became familiar with each other. This experience of working together also confirmed that they were suitable entrepreneurial partners.

What market gap does private travel fill?

After Irwin Chen returned to Taiwan, relying on his overseas life experience and high-end hotel industry connections, he began to accept entrustments to assist with room reservations and itinerary planning. The two discovered that high-end customer groups do exist in Taiwan, but there was a lack of travel agencies in the market that specialized in providing customized services, so they decided to focus on developing high-end customized itinerary services. Irwin Chen, who has a business management and entrepreneurial background, is responsible for company operations; David Yang, who grew up in France and has worked in Europe for a long time, is an outgoing person and serves as the overseas business window. The two have a clear division of labor and the business can run smoothly.

How can companies survive the impact of the epidemic and continue to grow?

Private Travel was invited to join the Virtuoso International Luxury Travel Alliance less than a year after its establishment. However, the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020 immediately had an impact on the outbound tourism business. Through the efforts of David Yang's contacts in Europe, the company resumed outbound services in the second half of 2022; during the same period, Irwin Chen also invested in the development and use of AI technology to arrange private itineraries for customers, keeping in line with technological trends in advance.

What new trends are emerging in Taiwan’s high-end luxury tourism market?

The two founders observed that Taiwanese consumers’ acceptance of experiential tourism is increasing. In the past, many high-net-worth customers tended to invest their budgets in physical assets such as jewelry. However, as the second generation of the family began to take their elders to travel abroad, the concept of experiential consumption has gradually become more popular. In addition, destination tourism has also become a new trend. For example, guests who like free diving or practice yoga for a long time will make a special trip to suitable vacation spots, which shows that the autonomy and diverse needs of the customer group continue to increase.

How does private travel represent Taiwan on the international stage?

Private Travel was recently invited to serve as the preparatory consultant for Capella Kyoto Hotel. Irwin Chen provided professional advice on the hotel’s customer group positioning, restaurant business hours and route planning. In 2025, the company continued to participate in ILTM (International Luxury Travel Market), the world's largest luxury travel show. David Yang represented the Asia-Pacific region and spoke at the Marriott Luxury Brand Annual Forum; Irwin Chen became the only representative from Taiwan to attend Marriott's "Asia Pacific Luxury Hotel Advisory Committee" for the second consecutive year. In addition, Private Travel has also become one of the two new members of the IHG's Global Committee, reflecting the international industry's recognition of Taiwan's tourism consumption strength.

As we approach our tenth anniversary, where will your focus be in the future?

As the company is about to enter its tenth anniversary, Irwin Chen said that in the future, he hopes to focus on passing on experience and hopes that more people will invest in the field of high-end customized tourism to drive overall market development. At the same time, he will continue to strengthen the use of AI technology to improve service quality on the premise of protecting customer privacy. Looking back on their entrepreneurial journeys, both of them admitted that they worked at a tight pace in the past and hoped to achieve a better balance between career and life in the future, using first-hand experience to create more complete journey plans for guests.