The educational tourism sector is generally an overlooked sub-sector of the UK tourism market. This is largely due to a lack of understanding about the concept of educational tourism, its value to the visitor economy and associated impacts. This article presents a definition and illustrates how most students travelling to destinations tend to be motivated by a desire to learn, even where this is not the primary reason for travel. The significant volume and value of UK education tourism is presented, with particular emphasis on the international university student market, as well as its impact on visitor economies. The case for more active and effective collaborative marketing is shown through examples of current good practice.