Meet Andy Corson: Tourism and Health & Safety Expert

Andy Corson brings a wealth of experience to the tourism industry, with a career that spans three decades over several continents. His journey began in New Zealand, where he managed one of the country’s busiest inbound retail travel agencies. This early success paved the way for international opportunities, leading Andy to Australia, where he worked with tour companies and inbound travel agencies. He then moved to the UK, where he managed a tour company office and guided tours across Europe.

Upon returning to New Zealand in the early 2000s, Andy founded a chain of inbound travel agencies that quickly became industry leaders. After 15 years of hands-on experience, he transitioned to tourism training, recognizing the need for more effective, on-the-job coaching. Andy became qualified in adult learning and teaching, which allowed him to better serve the industry. From 2008 to 2020, he facilitated the ADS tour guiding program for Service IQ and Tourism New Zealand.

During this time, Andy also authored a travel guide on Fiji, which led to the creation of a marketing business for Fijian accommodation, transport, and activity providers—a venture he successfully ran until 2020.

In 2015, driven by a desire to enhance health and safety standards within the tourism industry, Andy pursued a Graduate Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety from Massey University, completing his studies in 2017. Today, he is a HASANZ accredited health and safety practitioner, a professional member of the New Zealand Institute of Safety Management (NZISM), and a Certified member of IOSH.

Andy’s expertise was further recognized in 2019 when he joined Qualmark as a contracted Tourism Business Advisor. In this role, he conducted business evaluations and offered expert guidance to tourism operators. Before leaving in 2023 to focus on his health and safety business he led the re-writing of Qualmark’s health and safety criteria as the organization aligned with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s standards.

Outside of his professional endeavours, Andy is an avid outdoors-man. He enjoys fishing, diving, boating, and hunting, and has recently taken on a volunteer role with the local coastguard.

If you'd like a free, no obligation chat with Andy, feel free to contact him or connect with him on LinkedIn