Navigating the corn maze: Customizing travel cost models to value market segments in heterogeneous industries

2020 ◽  
pp. 135481662097696
Author(s):  
Anders Van Sandt ◽  
Dawn Thilmany McFadden

Agritourism is an example of a growing and important industry to rural communities in the United States seeking to leverage interest in their natural resource, agricultural, and other heritage assets. We use survey data and a flexible travel cost model to estimate the part-worth consumer surplus (CS) values of Western US agritourism trips for different regions, activities, and traveler types. Given the rural nature of agritourism may require interested travelers to come from long distances, we also pay particular attention to and compare travelers’ marginal and cumulative travel costs to evaluate the impact on CS estimates. Results indicate that trip and traveler heterogeneity, if unaccounted for, may lead to misinformed policy and management decisions.

Author(s):  
Kavita Sardana ◽  
John C. Bergstrom ◽  
J. M. Bowker

Abstract We estimate a travel cost model for the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests using an On-Site Latent Class Poisson Model. We show that the constraints of ad-hoc truncation and homogenous preferences significantly impact consumer surplus estimates derived from the on-site travel cost model. By relaxing the constraints, we show that more than one class of visitors with unique preferences exists in the population. The resulting demand functions, price responsive behaviors, and consumer surplus estimates reflect differences across these classes of visitors. With heterogeneous preferences, a group of ‘local residents’ exists with a probability of 8% and, on average take 113 visits.


2000 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Loomis ◽  
Shizuka Yorizane ◽  
Douglas Larson

Inclusion of multi-destination and multi-purpose visitors has an appreciable influence on a standard count data travel cost model derived estimate of willingness to pay but the differences are not statistically significant. We adapt a more general travel cost model (TCM) of Parsons and Wilson (1997) that allows for inclusion of multi-destination visitors as incidental demand to allow estimation of an unbiased measure of single and multi-destination willingness to pay for whale viewing using a single pooled equation. The primary purpose trip values from the standard TCM and simple generalized TCM model are identical at $43 per person per day and neither are significantly different from the $50 day value from a generalized model that distinguishes between joint and incidental trips. The general models avoid underestimation of total recreation site benefits that would result from omitting the consumer surplus of multi-destination visitors.


2008 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Loomis ◽  
Omer Tadjion ◽  
Philip Watson ◽  
Josh Wilson ◽  
Stephen Davies ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Jan Špaček ◽  
Michaela Antoušková

Geotourism is a new phenomenon, which has emerged in the tourism literature during the past two decades, and whose meaning suffered from global census. Geotourism is still a new discipline and relatively little has been written about its demand side, demonstrated by a lack of studies in the literature This article studies the recreational value of geotourism areas, and focuses on the first geopark in the Czech Republic, namely the Czech Paradise Geopark. To assess the recreational value the travel cost method is applied, specifically the individual travel cost model. The necessary research data was gathered through intensive tourist surveys conducted in the study area. Data gathered in the respondents’ survey served to determine the consumer surplus as a measure of recreational value and to develop the single site travel cost model. The dependent variable in the conducted model is the number of visits in the area and among the independent variables, studied age, education, travel cost, family status, economic activity and income. The results were subsequently compared to findings in the available literature, research works and case studies.


1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 358-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael S. Common ◽  
Daniel W. McKenney

The reliability of nonmarket welfare estimates has been examined by analysts in a variety of contexts. Much of the focus of previous work has been on individual, rather than aggregate values. This paper examines the reliability of aggregate consumer surplus estimates via a Monte Carlo model. The basic elements of a hedonic travel cost model are represented in a forest management decision-making context. One result is that what would appear as minor errors in visitor estimates between sites has a significant impact on aggregate consumer surplus estimates. The results serve to emphasize that sensitivity analysis is critical when using nonmarket welfare estimates for decision making.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Waldemar Mercado ◽  
Felipe Vásquez Lavín ◽  
Karina Ubillus ◽  
Carlos Enrique Orihuela

<div data-canvas-width="450.13143999999994">The aim was to determine the importance of the biodiversity on the decision to visit six Natural Parks of Peru. For this, a sample of tourists and the discrete travel cost model are used to estimate the demand of multiple places with different attributes. The results confirm that the probability of choice depends on the access routes, the biodiversity, the distance, and the cost of the trip. The effect of the biodiversity is less important than that of access routes. A conservation policy that considers these attributes will be key for the management of the biodiversity.</div>


2021 ◽  
Vol 111 (1) ◽  
pp. 136-144
Author(s):  
Sylvester O. Orimaye ◽  
Nathan Hale ◽  
Edward Leinaar ◽  
Michael G. Smith ◽  
Amal Khoury

Objectives. To examine the differences in adolescent birth rates by deprivation and Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) in rural and urban counties of the United States in 2017 and 2018. Methods. We analyzed available data on birth rates for females aged 15 to 19 years in the United States using the restricted-use natality files from the National Center for Health Statistics, American Community Survey 5-year population estimates, and the Area Health Resources Files. Results. Rural counties had an additional 7.8 births per 1000 females aged 15 to 19 years (b = 7.84; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 7.13, 8.55) compared with urban counties. Counties with the highest deprivation had an additional 23.1 births per 1000 females aged 15 to 19 years (b = 23.12; 95% CI = 22.30, 23.93), compared with less deprived counties. Rural counties with whole shortage designation had an additional 8.3 births per 1000 females aged 15 to 19 years (b = 8.27; 95% CI = 6.86, 9.67) compared with their urban counterparts. Conclusions. Rural communities across deprivation and HPSA categories showed disproportionately high adolescent birth rates. Future research should examine the extent to which contraceptive access differs among deprived and HPSA-designated rural communities and the impact of policies that may create barriers for rural communities.


<em>Abstract.—</em> Ohio constructed two artificial reefs beginning in 1986 in Lorain and Cuyahoga counties. The reefs were a demonstration project to evaluate the effects of reefs on fishing satisfaction and the feasibility of reef construction in other areas. Evaluation of the effects of reefs on recreational activity was viewed as essential for further reef development in Ohio and other Great Lakes states. A two-pronged research effort was undertaken: an underwater video investigation and a travel cost study. The travel cost study estimated the economic value derived from use of the Lorain County reef by sport anglers and divers. The results of this research were critical in supporting construction of a large artificial reef off the coast in Cleveland (Cuyahoga County) using rubble from the old Cleveland Stadium. From April to October 1992, 850 individuals who were willing to participate were contacted at Lorain County marinas and launch ramps. In early February 1993, these individuals were mailed questionnaires, with a second questionnaire mailed to nonrespondents in late February. Fifty-five percent responded. We estimated three alternative single-equation travel cost models. The most conservative estimate of consumer surplus (economic value) showed that the typical angler who used the reef in 1991 made nearly 10 more fishing trips during 1992 than the typical angler who did not use the reef in 1991, that is, nearly 26 trips in 1992 compared to 16 trips in 1992 by those who did not use the reef in 1991. The most conservative estimate of consumer surplus also showed that anglers who used the reef before 1992 valued total angling activity at US$302 more for the year 1992 than anglers who did not use the reef before 1992. When aggregated across all Lorain County anglers using the reef during 1991, the total value of the reef was $276,000 in 1992 compared to total construction costs of less than $100,000. Thus, the consumer surplus generated by the reef in one year exceeded construction costs by a wide margin.


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