• SME Market Access Program
• Project Design and Strategy
• Training and Facilitation
• ICT Solutions
• SME Energy Solutions

About Us

What We Do

WHL Consulting is part of the whl.travel group and picks up where WHL leaves off. whl.travel emphasizes responsible travel and keeping things local by focusing on online marketing / distribution of travel product from the developing world and off the beaten track destinations. WHL Consulting works with the product providers in the developing world (mostly the smaller local hotels, guesthouses and tour / activity operators) to assess market readiness (readiness for groups like whl.travel, Expedia, Orbitz and others to sell online); to develop high quality digital content needed for global distribution in the online world; to build capacity; to improve energy efficiency and to assist with access to finance. WHL Consulting has a strong commitment to sustainable travel and has built a focus on sustainable development into all the consulting and training work we do.

How We Happened

whl.travel began in 2002 as a pilot project incubated by the International Finance Corporation (part of the World Bank Group) for bringing small- and medium-sized accommodation and tour providers into the online distribution / booking world. Whilst initially the project was an IT focused one (build a web site, put the product up, and sell), things did not go smoothly. Putting locally owned SMEs online and trying to connect them directly to the global market involved many challenges such as local infrastructure issues, language, a lack of quality (or any) digital content to put online, no knowledge of distribution options / commissioning, poor business skills etc., let alone the issues with the quality of the product itself.

So while whl.travel developed the technology to load and distribute SME product via its own network of travel sites and those of other partner organisations like Intrepid Travel, there was a desperate need in most destinations to make sure that product being sold was in fact saleable and that the SMEs were able to deliver a product meeting customer expectations. This was the genesis of WHL Consulting which was spun off as a separate company in July 2008, specifically to address these SME development issues.

What Makes Us Unique

WHL Consulting has a singular focus on improving the competitiveness and long term sustainability of SME travel product from emerging economies. Unlike most tourism consultancy practices working to build SME capacity in isolation from the market, WHL Consulting works hand in hand with whl.travel and all of the local inbound tour operators it comprises to ensure that all SME development leverages directly from clear and established channels to market. This means having the technology and business processes available to connect SMEs to the global markets and then using the pull of the market to guide capacity building of the SMEs. It is not a purely theoretical exercise in explaining best practice to SMEs, rather it is a business driven mentoring and development process to ensure each SME can reach their full potential.