Awareness of World Heritage Sites (WHS) is a marketing tool used to promote a destination. Once a tourist arrives, the ‘trip experience’ becomes a vital tool to ensure repeat visits and showcase a positive image of a destination to potential tourists. This study has tried to link the impact of the ‘trip experience’ of tourists to awareness of WHS aiming to understand the relationship of the six ‘domains’ and forming a proposed model. The data was collected from an on-site survey of 309 tourists from July to December 2019 using a structured questionnaire following a pilot study. For data analysis, logistic regression analysis was used. This revealed that four out of six domains increase the probability of tourists’ awareness of WHS status during a trip, namely: welcoming, local travel, tour leader and tour guide. The earlier model for using WHS awareness only for promotional purposes has been shifted by adding the trip experience of the tourists. The findings can be applied by tourism and hospitality facilitators in providing services to tourists.

PurposeThe study aims, based on the symbiotic relationship between tourism agencies and various stakeholders, to investigate what “policy-level” partners would advise their “practice-level” counterparts on, first, how the World Heritage Site (WHS) status of monuments can be made attractive for travellers, and second, what steps can be taken by stakeholders to enhance the WHS tourist experience.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approach involving e-mail interviews was adopted. Content analyses of open-ended exploratory questions put to “policy-level” respondents yielded 10 major themes that can enhance the brand appeal of the WHS.FindingsThe findings offer in-depth solutions for better trip experiences of Heritage Tourists. Insights from the responses under ten thematic areas have direct relevance for application by tourism and hospitality facilitators.Practical implicationsAlthough this study was conducted in India, its findings hold implications for practice throughout the world. They could similarly be incorporated as elements of policy directed at incentivising communication of the value of preserving heritage for future generations.Originality/valueWhile previous research focused on stakeholders for planning and policy making, this study explores the stakeholder's perspective for a more comprehensive understanding of how using the WHS brand can generate more holistic tourism development.