This paper calls for greater rigor when it comes to issues relating to research around the ‘impact’ of research impact. It addresses some of its criticisms but also expands on the research program associated with the impact of tourism research. We conclude by addressing the fundamentality of the challenges posed by ‘research impact’. We argue they go to the very core of academic scholarship, as the commoditized neoliberal treatment of impact represents an existential challenge that goes beyond tourism research.