How WalksDevour Runs a Travel Affiliate Program of 500+ Partners with Tapfiliate

How a tour company turned partner recommendations into a revenue-generating channel while keeping program management lean.

At a Glance

• 10+ years since the program launched
• 500+ active affiliates generating sales
• More than 2x growth in affiliate-generated sales in under four years 
• 1 team member overseeing the affiliate program

Affiliate marketing is both a discovery channel and a direct source of bookings and revenue for WalksDevour.

Diana Simon, Head of Affiliates and Partnershipsat WalksDevour

Company Background

WalksDevour’s story began small. In the late 2000s, two Vatican guides built small-group tours of Rome as the opposite of a big bus tour. A few years later, two food lovers in Madrid built Devour Tours around local markets and family-run shops. Now the two tour companies operate under one brand, offering expert-led tours across Europe and North America.

Three things drove WalksDevour’s growth: a distinctive product, high-quality service, and smart marketing. Affiliate marketing became a key part of that mix, helping travelers discover and book WalksDevour experiences through trusted recommendations.

How WalksDevour Started with Affiliate Marketing

More than ten years ago, WalksDevour launched its affiliate program. Word of mouth was already working: travelers were booking tours because other people recommended them. The team saw an opportunity to turn those recommendations into a measurable, scalable marketing channel.

To make it work, WalksDevour needed reliable booking attribution, unique partner tracking links, and automated commission calculations. Tapfiliate has been part of the program since the beginning.

The team started building a partner network. It now includes travel publishers, bloggers, content creators, and travel professionals. WalksDevour works with all of them. What matters most is a strong fit between the partner’s audience and its experiences.

Growing the Travel Affiliate Program

As WalksDevour grew, its affiliate program became more complex. The team needed to manage a growing partner network, different commission structures, multiple currencies, and performance across its programs.

WalksDevour runs separate sub-programs, one for each website, while consolidating each partner’s commissions across all three.

With Tapfiliate, the team tailors commission rates and cookie durations by program and partner, which keeps the offer attractive and competitive.

A bigger network also needs a clear picture of performance. Daily reporting, affiliate-level insights, and real-time conversion tracking show how each partner is performing and give the team a starting point for deeper analysis of destinations and experiences.

During WalksDevour’s recent website migration, affiliate tracking continued without interruption. “When new challenges arise, the Tapfiliate team works closely with us to understand our needs and find the right solution,” says Diana Simon, Head of Affiliates and Partnerships at WalksDevour.

One Team Member, 500+ Partners

Today, WalksDevour’s affiliate program includes more than 500 active partners. In less than four years, affiliate-generated sales have grown by more than 2x, making the channel an important contributor to the business.

Despite the program’s scale, one team member oversees operations, relying on Tapfiliate to track conversions, manage commissions, and monitor partner performance across the network.

Ready for New Destinations

After more than a decade, affiliate marketing remains an established part of WalksDevour’s growth strategy. 

Tapfiliate gives us the flexibility to expand into new destinations and experiences without adding unnecessary complexity.

Diana Simon, Head of Affiliates and Partnershipsat WalksDevour

With Tapfiliate in place, the team can keep developing its partner network as the business grows.