Khiri Travel, the leading sustainable Asia DMC, is first and foremost about the countries it operates in. Our core values of Global/Local, Passion, Trust, and Entrepreneurs codify this commitment: the local teams are passionate, creative, and very knowledgeable about their destinations.
The country teams find themselves supported by the passionate, caring People Behind Khiri Travel.
Our Country GMs are all experienced travel industry leaders and are experts on their destinations – the perfect people to discuss your clients’ requirements with!
In 2005, John Black found his passion for the world of travel and hospitality through his work as a tour leader. He moved to Cambodia in 2008, and now with more than 16 years of experience in the industry, John leads Khiri Cambodia and Laos with affection and understanding of the local cultures. As an inquisitive cook and a cuisine enthusiast, John loves to eat at the local street food vendors and visit local markets for the freshest ingredients available.
Aini originally comes from a small island in the eastern part of Indonesia called Sumbawa. A proud mum with 2 sons, Dylan and Keano, she has been working for Sunda Trails since 2006 before Khiri Travel took over the company in 2014. Aini has worked in every department of the company, establishing the team over the years, creating a family working environment. She loves to connect her clients with the local people, allowing them to experience the true warmth of the locals.
Mahiru Fernando was born and raised in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and as far back as he can remember, he has always loved being surprised by the things his hometown has to offer. His favourite places on the island are the national parks (though he prefers them without the crowds), and the cooler hiking trails in the countryside that offer fresh air, lush greenery, and views of the waterfalls. When he is not at work, Mahiru can be found with a guitar in his arms, or in a kitchen, where he loves to prepare his favourite dish: Black Pork Curry.
Aaron first arrived in Vietnam in 2004 as a tour leader landing in the bustling Hanoi and has since explored most corners of the country. Although tour leading took him to many parts of SE Asia, Vietnam, and in particular, Saigon, always felt like home. Aaron joined Khiri Travel earlier this year and is a fan of exploring the country by motorbike and recently completed a month-long ride into the central highlands and along the spectacular eastern coast of the country. In the past he has ridden from the Mekong Delta to Ha Giang in the far north.
The Khiri Core team is there to ensure consistency in brand, service, quality, and management, to make sure our country teams are supported with systems, best practices, and knowledge, and to ensure sustained growth of the overall company.
Sofia Tan recently joined the Khiri Core team as People & Productivity Manager. Sofia is a Filipino/Singaporean mix but has been based in Thailand since 2006. She is passionate about learning new languages which allows her to understand cultures to a deeper level. Outside of Khiri, she spends her time hiking unseen destinations, trying out new cuisines and spending time with her two dogs.
In 2012, Michael Healy joined Khiri Travel to North America, and since then has dedicated himself to expanding our reach in the region. Mike’s infectious passion for conservation and adventure is evident in his work as the sales director in our North America offices.
Eric Chaichayuttapongs knows the Khiri systems and databases like the back of his hand, which means he has been an integral part of the Khiri Core team since he joined the company in 2013. In the office, Eric dedicates his time to making sure our operations run smoothly.
Marsha Niemeijer recently joined the Khiri Core team as the brand production assistant. In addition to the video and media work she does for Khiri, Marsha is the producer of the monthly Khiri Pulse podcast. Outside of Khiri Travel, Marsha is an artist, writer, and filmmaker; she can be found at her local movie theater, or at a bookstore.
Mai, also known as Pannita, has recently joined our team as a Marketing Executive and is an integral part of the Khiri Core Team. Mai has completed both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the field of tourism. Her deep-rooted passion lies in exploring different destinations, particularly through the exhilarating activity of diving. Mai enjoys cooking with her family and friends during her free time, embracing the joy of creating delicious meals together.
Thanapon has recently joined Khiri Core as a Group Financial Coordinator. One thing that he has always been passionate about is Nature and Finance. He thinks it’s something with his adventure as a kid and education in the financial field. How excited that both can go along together. So that’s why he enjoys working in the tourism and hospitality industry. It allows him to blend his personal interests and passions with his career. He feels like he’s working on supporting people to have fantastic service, and that motivates him to do great work.
Willem started the Khiri Travel in late 1993 and was soon supported by his longtime friend, Frans Betgem, who took an active role in the company between 1998 and 2011. Frans is still an active Director in the company. Khiri Travel’s Vision and Core Values were shaped by our founders in these early years. Frans and Willem spent much time traveling together and remain best friends.
Passion for travel has been in Willem’s blood since a young age. Being Dutch, his first explorations in Europe were on a bicycle. His career in the travel industry started with selling airline tickets at a student travel organization in the 1980s. He moved to Thailand in 1987 to further his career in the travel industry. He has been there ever since.
Willem founded Khiri Travel in a small room of a Bangkok shop house in 1993, with a bold vision to establish a “one-stop travel shop for the Greater Mekong sub-Region.” Almost 30 years later, Khiri Travel operates in eight countries with 13 offices across Asia.
Frans is a historian & traveler from Amsterdam in the Netherlands. He was involved in managing Khiri Travel until 2012 and now runs Green Trails, a small company in Chiang Mai. He is also involved in research on the history of Thailand and Chiang Mai in particular, and publishes articles on his blog site Travel and History. He also is the founder of Chiang Mai Memories, a popular Facebook group, and organizes historical tours through Chiang Mai a la Carte. Frans is very often on the road researching new itineraries and keeping abreast of the latest developments in tourism in Thailand.
Since 2016 he has been involved in a project to preserve the samlor, the traditional bicycle taxi, in Chiang Mai. Besides travel, his other passion is cycling which he does every morning before sunrise. He has a lot of plans for the future, but retirement is not one of them.
Known as ‘Khun Nong’ to the Khiri team, Kritsana has always been alongside Willem and has seen Khiri Travel through its growth and evolution since its inception in 1993. Kritsana remains the Director of the company, and is very involved with regional charity work, including Khiri Reach.