Our premise in this paper is that if sustainable tourism development and management is to meet the needs of both the present and the future then it is equally important to prioritise research on those who visit tourism destinations (and include those that do not visit) and for stakeholders to use that data in strategic planning. Decision makers must balance the needs of sustainability with research data drawn also from an increasingly complex set of visitor associated issues, such as design/interpretation, experience, expectation and assumptions. There should be a sound grasp of the reasons why potential visitors have declined to visit as this may well identify new sectors and innovative responses that aid responsible sustainability.

The aim of this paper is therefore to stimulate a dialogue for the advance of visitor study research as a strategic tool in the armoury of those who make decisions in tourism and destination management and for visitor studies to be included as core to the curriculum of those offering training in the field.

This paper will reflect on a number of these aspects.