Accelerating tourism growth across the North Coast
Destination North Coast NSW | Business Accelerator and Mentoring Program | Northern NSW, Australia | 2021–2022
Mentoring and business support delivered to 90 tourism businesses
Program delivered across the entire North Coast NSW region
More than 200 participants engaged through online content
Combination of one-to-one mentoring, workshops and webinars
Flexible program pathways tailored to business stage
Supported by the Federal Government COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Fund
The Challenge
Destination North Coast NSW engaged Sparrowly Group to design and deliver the Business Accelerator and Mentoring Program to support tourism businesses impacted by disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The North Coast tourism sector was experiencing significant disruption, with businesses facing reduced visitation, changing consumer behaviour and ongoing uncertainty.
Key challenges included
Supporting businesses to remain viable during prolonged disruption
Building confidence for the return of domestic tourism
Addressing varied capability levels across operators
Delivering support across a large and diverse geographic region
Providing practical, tailored assistance to meet individual business needs
Creating a scalable program able to reach a wide range of participants
The program required a flexible, empathetic and practical approach to help businesses stabilise, adapt and prepare for recovery.
Our Approach
Sparrowly Group designed a bespoke mentoring and capability-building program that combined personalised support with broader learning opportunities. Our goal was to provide tailored business and mentoring assistance to help operators sustain their businesses through the pandemic and position themselves for future growth.
Our program model included
One-to-one mentoring tailored to business stage and needs
A structured business health check review process
Online workshops and webinars
Practical tools and resources
Access to a private peer learning community
Five in-person regional workshops to build networks and capability
Participants were able to access content and mentoring aligned to their nominated pathway, ensuring the support was relevant, practical and immediately applicable. The approach balanced technical business support with emotional and peer-based encouragement, recognising the human dimension of recovery.
Outcomes and Impact
Key Outcomes
Successful delivery of mentoring support to 90 tourism businesses
Over 200 participants engaged through online learning content
Strengthened business confidence and resilience
Improved business planning and product development capability
Creation of new networks across the regional tourism industry
Economic and Social Impact
As a direct result of the program:
Numerous mentees expanded and refined their product offerings
Businesses invested in new assets and infrastructure
Operators diversified into new markets and distribution channels
Participants reported increased confidence and clearer strategic direction
Businesses were better positioned for the return of tourism
The program played a meaningful role in supporting the recovery of the North Coast visitor economy and strengthening long-term industry capability.
Services Delivered
“Destination North Coast engaged Sparrowly Group to deliver an ambitious industry mentoring program in a very challenging environment. The project targeted onboarding and mentoring 90 North Coast tourism businesses which was achieved on time and within budget. The quality and diversity of mentors that Sparrowly Group utilised for the project enabled us to facilitate mentoring for all 90 participating businesses that represent all sectors of our industry and to address their individual needs. Overall, the program has been a tremendous success delivering demonstrable improvements to the collective skill set and capacity of the industry on the North Coast”
