World Heritage Area listing of the Greater Blue Mountains - Did it make a difference to visitation?

Effects of World Heritage listing on visitation to a given destination have been widely debated but little-researched, especially those areas listed for their natural values. In a study of the Greater Blue Mountains (Australia) we found that five years after gazettal the majority of visitors were unaware that they had visited a World Heritage Area and, therefore, the status of the area had no effect on visitation for many. This was despite the majority of visitors being primarily motivated to visit the area for its natural beauty, and they were satisfied with their experience. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.