This study investigated the moderating role of tourist prior knowledge in the relationship between major destination experience components (i.e. attraction, infrastructure, restaurants and service performance) and tourist satisfaction. Data were collected from international tourists visiting Shiraz, Iran, via a questionnaire survey. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was applied to analyse the data, and the multi-group comparison approach was adopted to test the moderating role of prior knowledge. Findings reveal that tourist prior knowledge moderated the effects of destination experience components on tourist satisfaction in a differentiated way. The effects of service performance and restaurants on tourist satisfaction were more significantly moderated by tourist prior knowledge than the effects of attraction and infrastructure on tourist satisfaction. This study suggests that destination experiences enabled by human performance are more important in contributing to tourist satisfaction for those tourists with little knowledge about the destination. Destination marketing implications are discussed.