Designing China Tours Without the Boring Bits

In an increasingly digital-first travel world, a tourism brand’s website must do more than inform—it must inspire. For China Highlights, a leading provider of private China tours, we reimagined their digital journey through a complete redesign of four key pages: HOME, CHINA TOURS, DESTINATIONS, and ABOUT US. Each section was intentionally crafted to convert curiosity into bookings through thoughtful UX design, emotionally resonant imagery, and compelling storytelling.

Home Page: Where the Journey Begins

Visual Impact First

The hero image shows a friendly tour guide speaking with international tourists among bamboo forests. We selected this image to instantly communicate “authenticity” and “human connection,” reinforcing the brand promise of personalized service. The headline “Personalized Discovery” overlays with bold confidence while the background image captures a candid moment—making visitors feel they can be part of this story.

Messaging that Converts

We opened the homepage with a strong value proposition: “China Highlights, Discovery Your Way!” Below that, concise supporting text explains the company’s expertise, social proof (awards and media logos), and emotional appeal. These elements were positioned above the fold to guide users immediately toward trust and excitement.

Interactive Tour Teasers

We introduced top-selling tour cards with hover animations and bold call-to-actions. Each card has a clean layout: high-resolution image, brief summary, and “View More” button. These cards serve as a gateway to deeper discovery without overwhelming the user.

Design Insight

The balance of whitespace, clear type hierarchy, and consistent CTA buttons ensures scannability. We also used subtle gradients and drop shadows to modernize the tour card UI while keeping accessibility top of mind.

China Tours Page: Transforming Interest into Itineraries

Storytelling Through Structure

This page guides users through their tour options with an editorial layout. First, a compelling hero photo of a traveler on the Great Wall with a joyful smile sets the mood. We aimed to show relatability, adventure, and modern China.

Categorized Tour Options

We organized tours into “8-14 Days,” “2+ Weeks,” and “Family Friendly” categories, each with intuitive navigation tabs. Each tour card features:

• Thumbnail image with consistent aspect ratio
• Tour title and duration
• Quick highlights of destinations

UX Choices

Tabs reduce scroll fatigue and allow users to jump directly to the category that fits their timeframe. Tour cards retain the same design as the homepage for consistency, but with added trust badges and trip ratings.

Conversion Block

“Start planning your tailor-made tour” is a key CTA area fixed before the footer. It includes a button styled in brand red with high visibility. This persistent placement ensures call-to-action visibility without being intrusive.

Destinations Page: Exploring China, One City at a Time

Data Meets Emotion

We designed an interactive destination map of China showing popular travel cities. Hovering on a location reveals the name and linked detail page. This dynamic yet lightweight feature enhances exploration and reflects China Highlights’ vast expertise.

Grid Gallery of Cities

Below the map, we presented major destinations in a clean grid layout. Each card includes a city image, overlaid city name, and short captions like “Best for pandas and spicy food” for Chengdu. These micro-stories help travelers build emotional connections before clicking.

Visual Consistency

To keep imagery harmonious, we applied a cool-toned filter across city thumbnails. This gives the page visual unity while allowing different landscapes and architecture to shine through.

SEO-Friendly Content Blocks

Further down the page, we implemented collapsible lists of A-Z tour cities and provincial highlights. This structure supports both user needs and long-tail keyword indexing.

About Us Page: Building Trust with Transparency

Brand Humanization

A banner with a tour guide and guests in real-time settings was reused here for brand consistency. The overlay headline “Personalized Discovery” mirrors the homepage—a subtle reinforcement of identity.

Numbers That Prove Authority

We used icon-enhanced stats to highlight “10,000+ reviews,” “98.8% satisfaction,” and “25+ years of experience.” These metrics are displayed with animated counters and minimalist icons to foster credibility without clutter.

Design Insight

Placing these stats early in the scroll path ensures that first-time visitors quickly associate China Highlights with trust and professionalism.

Team Profiles

Circular team portraits and short bios add a human layer. From guides to trip planners, users can see the people behind the service. Each image has a subtle hover effect revealing the team member’s area of expertise.

Behind-the-Scenes Content

We added testimonials, candid on-tour photos, and awards in a vertically stacked layout. The arrangement ensures content depth while maintaining a scannable vertical rhythm.

Conclusion

With a clean layout, emotionally rich imagery, and high-conversion copy, each of these four pages was designed to take visitors from exploration to booking with ease. From interactive city maps to tour segmentation and brand storytelling, the site now fully supports China Highlights’ mission: delivering personalized, immersive travel experiences in China.

We strategically aligned every design and copy decision with brand positioning and user behavior insights, re-envisioning the travel website to convert.

Designed and crafted by AIRSANG DESIGN.