Welcome to Inside Tourism

Inside Tourism is dedicated to New Zealand inbound and domestic tourism. IT, as it is affectionately known, was founded by travel photo journalist Nigel Coventry in 1994 and since then has grown in stature and respect for its timely, accurate and independent coverage of industry news, views and information. Inside Tourism is read by major international organisations such as the Pacific Asia Travel Association and the United Nations World Travel Organisation as well as all New Zealand national travel and tourism organisations, the CEOs and managers of all airlines, coach companies, rental car firms, hotel chains and other accommodation providers, as well as RTOs, MRTOs, attractions and activity operators - and even PM John Key!

IT is distributed every Wednesday night to more than 4,500 readers throughout the industry in New Zealand and 17 of our overseas markets.

"FOR the last 10 years, Inside Tourism has been a valuable news and information resource for New Zealand tourism, providing a weekly snapshot of happenings within the industry. One of IT's strengths is its industry-wide focus. You have a great commitment to close consultation and engagement with the tourism industry, and the success of Inside Tourism is testament to the effectiveness of this work." - George Hickton, CEO TNZ.

Nigel provides comprehensive coverage on a large number of industry conferences, meetings, trade shows, seminars and updates every year.

Inside Tourism was launched on January 21, 1994 and was immediately embraced by the industry. How it happened...

In 1982 award-winning editor Nigel Coventry became PRO for the then Tourist and Publicity Department (now Tourism New Zealand) after 20 years in radio, TV and print media in the UK, Monaco, Australia and Brunei.
After making many friends he left in 1985 to write fulltime on the New Zealand industry for overseas magazines, and edit Travel Scene, a glossy magazine. Inside Tourism was launched when Nigel saw a need for an independent, up-to-the-minute, factual publication for what was, and still is, a fragmented industry. IT started as a fax-based publication with issues being posted out for anyone who did not, at the time, have a fax machine.
Nigel was chided by one industry leader who could not believe there was enough news to fill a weekly. How wrong that CEO was... IT started with four pages. But as soon as readers recognised its value as an independent voice, advertising followed...

Today, there is so much happening in the industry that IT is now consists of between 12 and 15 pages, necessitating the need for an Executive Summary for the subscribers who now almost all take the publication by email.
The philosophy of IT has always been to try not to take sides on issues - merely to record the views of those in the industry. Inside Tourism does not seek out scandals or controversy but tries to show both sides of an issue in a balanced way. Nigel was Travel Writer of the Year in 1985/6, won a PATA Gold Award in 1999 for an exclusive interview with He Guan Wei, the then chairman of the China National Tourism Administration when he visited Wellington prior to ADS. And if 2008 Nigel was stunned to be named PATA Travel Journalist of the Year.

Nigel, centre, with on his left the New Zealand High Commissioner to India Rupert Holborow and on his left TNZ Regional manager Kiran Nambiar who were in Hydrabad to collect Gold Awards for its 100%Pure campaign and its marketing/PR campaign around the giant rugby ball promotion for the Rugby World Cup in 2011.

Daughter Sue-Anne Coventry helps Dad edit Inside Tourism from her base at Cardiff University.