Walthers Destination Business Solutions

What Walthers Destination Business Solutions does

Walthers Destination Business Solutions (legal entity Walthers Tours (Pty) Ltd) is a South African family-owned destination management company headquartered in Fourways, Johannesburg, founded in 1981 by Klaus Walther and now led in its second generation by Daryl Keywood and Heidi Walther. The company provides MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events) tourism services as a single point of contact, covering incentive programs, conferences, individual leisure travel, and group and special interest tours across Sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands. Its core capabilities span venue and accommodation sourcing, transport and logistics, event website design, online registration, function planning and theming, AV and technical coordination, and corporate social responsibility facilitation including support for the Ezweni Primary School near Kruger National Park.

The underlying operating model is intermediation: Walthers procures accommodation, transport, transfers, game viewing, and activities from local suppliers and earns commissions or management fees from end clients. Quotation-based pricing is tailored to participant count, dates, and exchange rates, with VAT at 15% included and credit card surcharges of 4.5–5%. The technology stack is conventional services software (event websites, online registration), with no proprietary AI or platform IP disclosed. Distribution is delivered through direct sales from Johannesburg plus an international representation network spanning the USA, UK, Benelux, Germany, Mexico, and Brazil via partners including Euromic (Hello DMC), DMC Advantage, TravelMarketing, The Collection Destinations, and Destination Experts.

Walthers targets enterprise and corporate clients globally for MICE programs, with marquee logos including Volkswagen UK, BMW Germany, Audi, Toyota, Oracle Europe, KPMG Netherlands, Cummins USA, Kaspersky Russia, and Sanofi, alongside nonprofit and government work for Vital Voices and the US Department of Trade and Industry. Individual leisure travelers and group tours are served under the Authentic Travel Africa by Walthers sub-brand. The go-to-market is sales-led, supported by RFP processes, participation in industry events including IMEX, and a digital presence via website and social channels. The company carries SATSA bonded membership, Lloyds of London professional liability cover, and Biosphere certification (the first South African company to achieve this), and has accumulated 6 SITE Crystal Awards since 2007 across sustainability, CSR, and incentive travel excellence.

Name

Walthers Destination Business Solutions

Legal name

Walthers Tours (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://walthers.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Walthers Destination Business Solutions is a South African family-owned destination management company founded in 1981, providing MICE tourism services including incentive travel, conferences, corporate events, and leisure travel across Sub-Saharan Africa and Indian Ocean Islands for global enterprise clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Management Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land (48711)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Venue Sourcing & Contracting (Hotels, Conference Centers) (THACAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Inbound/Local Retail Travel Agencies (Destination Booking Offices) (THAKABAH)

Keywords

• Destination management services
• Corporate incentive travel
• Conference event planning
• Group leisure tours
• Sub-saharan africa travel

Headquarters

HQ city

Fourways

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Destination Management Services: Full-service destination management for incentive trips, conferences, and group travel to Africa. Services include accommodation procurement, transport, transfers, game viewing activities, tours, and event logistics. Acts as intermediary receiving commissions or management fees.
2. Conference and Event Planning: Single point of contact solution for event planners including venue and accommodation sourcing, transport and logistics, event website design and online registration, function planning and theming, and audio-visual and technical requirements.
3. Individual and Group Travel: Leisure travel services for individuals and groups visiting Africa, from luxury five-star holidays to budget experiences, including escorted tours, self-drive programs, and pre/post conference extensions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Walthers Destination Business Solutions is a Destination Management Company that plans and delivers corporate incentive travel, conferences, group tours, and individual leisure travel across Sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands. It acts as a single point of contact, sourcing accommodation, transport, transfers, game viewing, tours, and event logistics, while providing event website design, online registration, function theming, audio-visual coordination, and on-site Event Manager support. Revenue is generated through professional service fees on these customised travel and event programs.

Product overview

Walthers Destination Business Solutions is a Destination Management Company (DMC) offering a unified portfolio of travel and event services across Sub-Saharan Africa. The core offerings include Incentives (reward travel programs), Conferences (full-service meeting and event planning), Individual Leisure Travel under the Authentic Travel Africa brand, and Group and Special Interest Tours. All services are delivered through a single point of contact solution, with supplementary CSR facilitation services available. The company operates as a single integrated service offering rather than a modular software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Incentives Full-service corporate incentive travel programmes delivering bucket-list African experiences (Big Five Safaris, Mozambican Islands, Cape Town, Victoria Falls) for multinational clients rewarding employees, channel partners, or customers. Includes venue and accommodation sourcing, transport, transfers, game viewing, tours, theming, on-site Event Manager support, and 24/7 assistance.
• Conferences End-to-end conference and corporate event planning across Sub-Saharan Africa, offering a single point of contact for venue and accommodation sourcing, transport and logistics, event website design and online registration, function planning and theming, and audio-visual technical requirements. Targets corporations, associations, and agencies running AGMs, advisory boards, and corporate events.
• Individual Leisure Travel (Authentic Travel Africa by Walthers) Personalised individual travel arrangements for holidays, special celebrations, family trips, romantic getaways, and African adventures, ranging from luxury five-star holidays to budget self-drive experiences. Marketed under the Authentic Travel Africa by Walthers sub-brand.
• Group and Special Interest Tours Escorted group tours with experienced registered guides and customised tour programmes for school groups, associations, special interest groups, and touring parties visiting Africa. Includes due diligence on suppliers and handling of visas/permits.
• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Facilitation Facilitation of corporate social responsibility projects as part of incentive and conference programmes, including support for Ezweni Primary School near Kruger National Park, delivered without fees for CSR project coordination.

Quantifiable outcome

• Completed over 3,000 successful events in 45 years of operation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and regional.

• EuromiccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational DMC network providing representation in Europe and North America. Euromic connects Walthers with partners including Hello DMC (USA), Lisbon office covering Europe & North America, and DACH region contacts through Eva & Edin Muminovic.
• TravelMarketing (Benelux)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBenelux representation office contact: Michelle Hulsman. Located at Burgemeester Pabstlaan 10A5, 2031 XE, Hoofddorp, Netherlands. Provides local sales and support for Benelux market.
• The Collection Destinations (Brazil)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLatam representation office contact: Eliane Taunay. Based in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Provides local sales and support for Brazilian and broader Latam market.
• Destination Experts (Mexico)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMexico representation office contact: Alejandra Cervantes. Based in Mexico City. Provides local sales and support for Mexican market.
• DMC Advantage (United Kingdom)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK representation office contacts: James Dowson and Simon Burleigh. Located at Haddenham Business Centre, Chiltern House, Thame Road, Haddenham, Bucks, HP17 8BY. Provides local sales and support for UK market.
• SATSA (Southern African Tourism Services Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWalthers is an accredited and financially bonded member of SATSA. SATSA member accreditation is checked annually. Members are bonded and have public liability insurance. Walthers also conducts due diligence annually on every service provider.
• Lloyds of LondoncoreOthersWalthers carries professional liability insurance underwritten by Lloyds of London, ensuring financial protection and credibility for clients.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Somak Holidays: UK-based DMC specializing in East and Southern African safari and incentive travel. Competes for the same European-source-market corporate incentive accounts as Walthers' Euromic channel.
• &Beyond: Africa-focused luxury DMC and safari operator offering high-end incentive travel, group tours, and bespoke itineraries across Sub-Saharan Africa and Indian Ocean Islands. Direct competitor to Walthers in the African incentive and conference market, with overlapping destination coverage and similar enterprise client base.
• Micato Safaris: Boutique Africa-focused DMC specializing in luxury safaris and bespoke incentive trips across Eastern and Southern Africa. Direct competitor in the corporate incentive travel and high-end leisure segments.
• Abercrombie & Kent: Global luxury DMC with a significant Africa division providing incentive travel, group tours, and private journeys. Competes directly with Walthers for multinational corporate incentive accounts seeking premium African experiences.
• Wild Frontiers: Africa and Indian Ocean DMC offering adventure and incentive group travel with strong UK and European source markets. Comparable in scale and service offering to Walthers' group and special-interest tours business.

Broad incumbents

• BCD Meetings & Events: Global MICE management company handling meetings, incentives, conferences, and events for multinational corporations. Represents the broad incumbent competitive threat — large enterprises may consolidate African MICE spend with BCD rather than using a regional DMC like Walthers.
• CWT Meetings & Events: Global MICE division of CWT providing end-to-end event and incentive travel management for Fortune 500 corporate accounts. Competes for the same enterprise MICE wallets that Walthers targets, particularly through global procurement frameworks.

Emerging players

• Roho Ya Chui: Kenya-based DMC offering safari and incentive travel across East Africa with international representation. Emerging competitor in the East African portion of Walthers' Sub-Saharan destination portfolio.
• African Travel Inc. US-based African DMC specializing in luxury FIT and small-group incentive itineraries. Emerging niche competitor with overlap on Walthers' North American-sourced corporate incentive accounts.

Regional players

• Springbok Atlas Tours & Safaris: South African-based DMC offering scheduled tours, group travel, and incentive programs focused primarily on Southern Africa. Direct domestic competitor to Walthers in the South African corporate incentive and group travel segments.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WalthersDMC
• Facebookfacebook.com/WalthersDBS
• Instagraminstagram.com/walthers_dbs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/walthers-dbs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Walthers Destination Business Solutions