A constrained management goal of tourism
destinations is proposed that allows recreational users to pursue welfare derived
from visit experiences,subject to non-declining ecosystem health and equity of access.While visitors to natural resource areas are capable of modifying biophysical systems on local and global scales.The management of visitors to natural and heritage
destinations has challenged site managers for decades.If tourism destinations are ever to live up to the higher ideals that so many of visitors have for them,there must be some parameters on the number and behavior of visitors.So,
visitor management is a very important part in tourism management.And there is now renewed interest in a more systematic approach to visitor management,driven by new directions in tourism destinations and access policy,increasing public expectations,and the broader 'sustainability' agenda.Some new tools and theories have come on the scene to help tourism managers make those tough decisions.Aiming at promoting theoretical research and practical application of visitor management in China,the paper reviewed overseas literatures on visitor management,and divides all these researches into the following six aspects: tourist demand and preference,carrying capacity management,visitor behavior management,tourist experience management,tourist safety management and visitor impact management.Though the academic status of visitor management still haven't been recognized,the research of visitor management has entered the systematic empirical research stage with the enlargement of its study scope,clarity of its study object,diversity of its study content and maturity of its study method.The aim of this paper is to review and analyze the sequence of thought and the progress in the foreign study of visitor management in the past several years.And,at the same time,the paper emphatically analyzes the hot topics and the new study directions in the field,and points out the weakness of these studies.At last,the paper points out some enlightenment to the domestic tourism study.