TOURISM AS EXPERIENCE - THE CASE OF HERITAGE PARKS

The need to consider the experiences and benefits gained by visitors t o tourism attractions is addressed, with specific reference to an indu strial heritage park. The differing dimensions of experience and the v arious benefits are examined, as well as factors having influence on t hem. The consumer groups defined in terms of experiences and benefits derived are described in terms of their motivations for visiting and s ocioeconomic profile. The study raises questions concerning the useful ness of past emphases on sociodemographic analyses at heritage attract ions, as experiential and benefit segmentations appear to be somewhat independent of sociodemographic attributes. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.