Arjen has been involved in the tourism industry most of his professional life, a career spanning over 24 years. A Dutch national, Arjen grew up in Holland and spent some years at the Hogere Hotel School in The Hague. After a short stint in the wine business (still an important hobby today) he started as a tour leader to South East Asia and Indonesia in particular. The mystique and people of Java and Bali immediately impressed him and made him eager to learn more.

After extensive experience in the tourism industry in countries as diverse as Sri Lanka, Thailand and the USSR, Arjen settled in Bali in 1993. First in marketing and later in executive positions at large destination management companies, Arjen learned the profession from scratch. After understanding the potential of Bali as a destination and developing an innovative way to deliver Balinese tours, Arjen opened his own company, Asialink Holidays, in Bali in 1996. This approach proved to be very successful and resulted in the opening of offices in several other South East Asian countries in subsequent years.

Arjen has always had a passion for both managing and developing people and innovating products. Every two months you will find Arjen on the road somewhere in the existing Asialink destinations to look for new connection opportunities, or exploring new destinations to share with potential visitors.