A lot of people think because they join an organization that they can sit back and wait for everybody to come, no you’ve got to give it input, you’ve got to talk to these people, you’ve got to be participating with it, you’ve got to invest in it. Although lifestylers are more sanguine about the commercial dimensions of their business, they do endeavour to operate ‘good’ tourism ventures and participate in regional initiatives for reasons that extend beyond immediate or business selfinterest. Despite the costs associated with membership, and the lack of expectations, most operators continued to renew their memberships because of regionally motivated reasons. They pointed out that ‘it is good for the town and they do lots of good things and they do give information. I choose to put my money in for that reason’, ‘every place needs a visitor centre ... so we do need to support them.’ The resistance that lifestylers show towards prospective agencies of support poses a challenge for relevant agencies and advisors active in the SME domain. These entities will need to adapt their knowledge into forms that are compatible with SMTE requirements (Dalley and Hamilton, 2000