Client Stories

Testimonials and project accounts from tourism operators, councils, and visitor economy businesses who have worked with Magnolia Field Business Advisory.

What clients share

The accounts below come from completed advisory engagements. Names and business details are used with permission. We include reservations where they reflect the real experience of working with us.

Claire spent a full day walking our property with housekeeping and front desk staff — not just management. The guest journey map she produced highlighted three friction points we had normalised: slow check-in paperwork, no clear path to the restaurant, and a pool area that felt like an afterthought. We fixed the first two within a month. The pool renovation is scheduled for winter, which she flagged as the right timing to avoid peak bookings.
Rachel TonkinGeneral manager, Harbour Lights Boutique Hotel, Kiama
The destination review gave council a shared vocabulary for visitor economy discussions. Not everyone agreed with every recommendation — the proposed shuttle service was voted down on budget grounds — but having a ranked priority list stopped us funding three competing signage projects in the same year.
Marcus ElleryEconomic development officer, Shoalhaven City Council
I booked four coaching sessions when our Airbnb occupancy dropped after a new competitor opened. James helped me reframe our offer around farm tours rather than competing on room rate. Bookings recovered, though it took longer than I hoped — about four months. Honest about that timeline upfront, which I appreciated.
Sandra PikeOwner, Greenvale Farm Stay, Berry
The shoulder-season workshop brought six businesses together who had never coordinated before. We launched a winter food trail that filled Tuesday and Wednesday nights — our quietest days. Uptake was modest the first year but repeat visitors from Sydney started asking about it by name in year two.
Leo VasquezOperator, Coastal Plate Tours, Gerringong

Extended project account: Illawarra dispersal study

Client: Regional tourism alliance (four LGAs)
Engagement: Destination Strategy Review, 2023
Duration: 9 weeks

The challenge

Visitors clustered around Wollongong’s beaches and the Nan Tien Temple, leaving hinterland towns with weekend-only trade. Council funding for promotion was split across four separate DMO budgets with overlapping messaging.

Our approach

We mapped 14 days of anonymised mobile-location data (supplied by the client), conducted 22 operator interviews, and ran two community forums in Dapto and Albion Park. The analysis identified three “gateway moments” where visitors could be redirected inland without extending trip length.

Outcomes

  • Unified wayfinding signage installed at two motorway exits (funded separately by Transport NSW)
  • A joint “Inland Half-Day” itinerary adopted by six tour operators
  • Hinterland cafe trade on Sundays increased an average of 18% across participating towns (self-reported, six-month follow-up survey)

Client reflection

“The report did not magically solve council politics, but it gave us evidence to argue for one budget line instead of four.” — Alliance chair

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