Interpretation, visitor marketing and visitor centres all present information to visitors to manage and enhance their experiences. Interpretation is the systematic provision of information to encourage visitors to understand and connect with places, sites, natural areas, wildlife and cultures using communication methods such as signs and verbal story telling. Taught in tertiary education courses, and the subject of a DOC handbook in 2005, interpretation is a key tool for structuring and presenting information for those involved in tourism. As a form of information-based management, visitor marketing is closely related to other management mechanisms such as interpretation and visitor centres. Visitor marketing promotes destinations, attractions, and products and services to attract visitors across national, regional, local, site, and product and service levels. By varying the emphasis in its message, visitor marketing (sometimes in association with - de-marketing) can also be used to shape (including discouraging) demand for visits to destinations and attractions. Recent developments in social marketing can also influence visitor behaviour, especially in regards to managing visitor numbers in over-used areas. Knowledge of the target audience profile and where potential visitors are placed on a continuum of recreational specialisation is important to visitor marketing. Visitor marketing methods are changing rapidly and include the internet as well as word of mouth. Monitoring is integrated into the marketing cycle.

Visitor centres are, ideally, "one-stop shops" where visitors can obtain information about an area, or particular activities and services from written material, displays and, most importantly, the staff. Visitor centre staff members provide one-on-one contact and local knowledge about their area. They are ready to showcase their area and give personal service. Visitor centres are usually expensive to set up and funding mechanisms vary, as do types of centres. In New Zealand there are several different types of visitor centre: i-site centres which focus on a range of activities; DOC centres which focus on flora and fauna, and; local, district, community and private centres, which also co-exist in many areas. All visitor centres have the capacity to influence visitors effectively for integrated management.