Heritage Site Websites Content: The Need for Versatility

ABSTRACT

This study examined visitor expectations of a heritage site Website, a major marketing channel. The study focuses on Yad Vashem (The Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Museum) in Jerusalem, Israel. The findings reveal the existence of three types of content that tourists expect to find on a Website: (1) functional information, (2) educational information, and (3) emotional information. Relationships were found between participants' perception of the destination relative to their own heritage, tourist motivations (overall and specific) to visit the destination, and tourist expectations of the Website content. The implications highlighted emphasize the attributes of the Internet as a communication channel that allows Website content to be tailored to the target audience and facilitate its use in marketing of heritage sites.

KEYWORDS:

• Customization
• heritage
• perception
• motivation
• Website