Tourists perceptions of World Heritage Site and its designation

This exploratory study clarifies visitors' perceptions, meanings and conceptualizations associated with the World Heritage Site designation. In-depth open as well as semi-structured interviews were conducted with 57 participants. The findings indicate that WHS designation has several effects relevant to the understanding of the concept of world heritage, and visitors' experiences at such sites. The findings' implications are discussed in terms of both theory and practice. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.