Recreational value of glacier tourism resources: A travel cost analysis for Yulong Snow Mountain

AbstractThe true economic value of ecosystem services may not be reflected in market transactions, because there is no real transaction for ecosystem services in the market. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the cost of time and travel to define the value people place on something in the absence of a market price. This study estimates the recreational value of Ghaleh Rudkhan forest park in the north of Iran using the individual travel cost method. This method is considered to be a substitute approach for the market. The data required were collected using questionnaires. Therefore, 271 questionnaires were randomly distributed between the visitors of the recreational site in 2016. In this study, a linear function is used to estimate the effects of explanatory variables including economic and social variables on the number of visits to estimate the recreational value of the forest park. Results showed that a consumer surplus of each person for their visit was 21500 Rials and the annual recreational value of the park was 78390595 Rials per ha. Furthermore, the variables such as travel expenses, income, distance, family size and visitor’s age are effective factors in the recreational use of the park. The results of this study can improve the quality of environmental services of the Ghaleh Rudkhan forest park and could expand the variety of services that they could supply based on the demand of the people.

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Estimating Recreational Value of Foy's Lake: An Application of Travel Cost Count Data Model for Truncated Zeros

10.20944/preprints201702.0032.v1 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Md. Touhidul Alam ◽

Anis-Ul-Ekram Chowdury ◽

Md. Sajib Hossian

Keyword(s):

Regression Model ◽

Count Data ◽

Data Model ◽

Poisson Regression ◽

Consumer Surplus ◽

Travel Cost ◽

Travel Cost Method ◽

Poisson Regression Model ◽

Recreational Value ◽

Recreational Benefits

To estimate the recreational value provided by the Foy’s Lake annually using the most applicable model for on-site data is the main objective of this study. Adhere to the objective of this study; Individual Travel Cost Method (ITCM) has been applied and Zero Truncated Poisson Regression Model has been found plausible among other models to estimate consumer surplus. Based on the findings of the study, an estimate of the consumer surplus or recreational benefits per trip per visitor can be recommended as BDT 5,875 or US $ 73.44 and counting the consumer surplus per trip per visitor, the annual recreational value (total consumer surplus) provided by the lake is found to be BDT 321 million or US $ 40.2 million.

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Using social media photos as a proxy to estimate the recreational value of (im)movable heritage: the Rubjerg Knude (Denmark) lighthouse

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management ◽

10.1108/ijchm-04-2020-0365 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

António Azevedo

Keyword(s):

Economic Value ◽

Consumer Surplus ◽

Application Programming Interface ◽

Travel Cost ◽

Rescue Operation ◽

Content Type ◽

Recreational Value ◽

Residence Location ◽

Heritage Building ◽

Cost Calculations

Purpose On October 2019, the Rubjerg Knude lighthouse (Denmark) was moved 70 metres from the cliff edge. The Danish Government spent €700,000 on the rescue operation. Using the zonal travel cost method (ZTCM), this paper aims to estimate the recreational value of this (im)movable maritime heritage building, to assess whether it was worthwhile to incur that public expenditure. This valuation is complemented by a digital reputation analysis. Design/methodology/approach A Flickr application programming interface search method extracted 795 public photos with the “Rubjerg and Knude” tags, taken between 2004 and 2019. The ZTCM analysis included 148 photographers who provided information about their residence location. Findings Depending on the regression models and assumptions made, the estimated economic value of the lighthouse (measured by the consumer surplus) varies between 5.5m and 133m euros. That means that the operation’s cost is only a small percentage of the expected economic recreational value. Research limitations/implications The sample of Flickr photographers is a proxy to estimate the zonal visitation rate for a specific destination. Zonal travel cost calculations are always based on some assumptions defined by researchers. Practical implications The paper frames the role of lighthouses as an (im)movable heritage element, which provides several cultural ecosystem services – in particular aesthetic, recreational, cultural/educational, bequest and sense of place values/benefits for tourists and residents. Social implications This study supports the political decision of preserving an identity symbol of a specific place, based solely on its recreational value. Originality/value This paper combines a monetary approach (ZTCM) with a digital reputation analysis of this iconic attraction.

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