Colin Balfour

Managing Consultant

Colin offers our clients:

  • Over 30 years senior management and consulting experience in the public and private sectors
  • Over 35 years’ experience in the Australian tourism industry, across a range of sectors
  • Recognised as one of Australia's leading authorities on the growing RV Tourism market
  • Particular skills and experience in strategic planning, business planning and marketing planning
  • Extensive experience in community consultation and community engagement is
  • Over 15 years consulting experience in Queensland over a broad range of industry sectors and business types as well as with State, Federal and local government.

Colin is experienced in corporate and strategic planning roles in the national and international arenas, bringing to Balfour Consulting extensive expertise, particularly in the fields of tourism, retail and services marketing.

As Director of Marketing at Sheraton Townsville Hotel & Casino and at Wrest Point Hotel & Casino, Colin oversaw a restructuring of marketing operations and realigning strategic directions. This included working closely with external stakeholders and key partner organisations to gain the support and quality services needed to ensure successful outcomes were achieved. During Colin’s time as Director of Sales & Marketing this Wrest Point, the property won the National Tourism Award – Marketing.

Colin’s career has involved business development and the development and implementation of tourism marketing campaigns in Europe, SE Asia, Australia and New Zealand. He was Corporate Planner & Manager Planning for the WA Tourism Commission and facilitated the introduction of the WA Government’s corporate planning requirements to that organisation. He has worked in partnership with, or consulted to, a wide range of organisations from major national and multinational corporations through to government bodies and small business operators.

His recent consulting experience includes strategic and business planning, marketing planning, risk management, community consultation and market and social research.

Among a range of projects in 2009, Colin undertook a feasibility study and business plan for the Carpentaria Shire Council to establish a major tourist attraction and interpretive centre at Normanton. The study included a detailed analysis of the drive tourism industry in north-west Queensland, analysis of other major tourist attractions in the region and a three-year business planning outlook for the project.

In 2010, Colin completed a feasibility study and business plan for a Farmers Market in North Queensland on behalf of five NQ regional councils. The plan should see a Farmers Market established in Townsville to service the producers and consumers of the North Queensland region. He also followed up on his ground-breaking research into the use of non-commercial accommodation by RV travellers in the North Queensland region with a second study used by the Campervan & Motorhome Club of Australia to lobby government all levels across Australia and as the basis of their submission to a Queensland Parliamentary committee investigating the RV travel market.

In late 2010, he led a team undertaking research and consultation on behalf of James Cook University (JCU) into University pathway programs, offering alternative admissions pathways to potential low income and indigenous students across northern Queensland, and from this provided a range of recommendations to the University on pathway structures and market evaluation. This included follow-up research in 2011, facilitating focus groups with TAFE students in Townsville and Cairns and indigenous students across two regional indigenous colleges.

From 2014 to 2016, he worked with CMCA as an "in-house consultant" assisting the Club with initial development of the RV Park Project, to establish a Australia-wide network of member only, low cost camping grounds for self-contained recreational vehicles.

Colin offers high-level strategic planning skills underpinned by strong research and analysis abilities. With over 30 years’ experience in the tourism industry, Colin has extended his knowledge through a wide variety of consulting projects from ground-breaking research into the economic impact of campervan and motorhome travellers using free rest areas to developing the corporate planning process for the Museum of Tropical Queensland with his template adopted across all Queensland Museum campuses.

Colin has been involved in the Federal Government’s Enterprise Mentoring program, working with CEOs and management teams in small to medium businesses and the Mentoring for Growth program run by the State Government through the Department of Education, Economic Development and Industry.

Colin undertook a BA at Canterbury University (NZ), with additional studies in Communications at Murdoch University, WA, and has also undertaken tutoring at James Cook University’s School of Business.

He has been involved in the Townsville community with six years as President of the Townsville & JCU Rowing Club, Vice-President and Secretary of the Townsville Maritime Museum, Committee member of the Townsville Sailing Club, Committee member of the Southside Junior Rugby Union Club and a Rowing and Rugby Union coach.

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