Heritage site management: The link between visitors' pre-visit perceptions, motivations and expectations

This study attempts to explore the significance of visitors' perceptions of a site relative to their own heritage as a factor in understanding tourist behavior and for the management of heritage settings. The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, was chosen as the focus of the current research, which is composed of two field studies. The first, relates to tourists who had already decided to visit and was conducted among people waiting in line to enter the site. The second field study, conducted at different locations in Amsterdam, referred to potential visitors (had not yet decided to visit the site). The results indicate that the individual's perception of the site relative to his/her own heritage is a key factor in understanding both motivation to visit and expectations of the interpretation provided. Implications of the findings for researchers and practitioners are presented.