Estimating demand for outdoor recreation

Abstract

The problem in valuing recreation benefits is that, typically, such facilities are unpriced into three categories: (1) the benefits to those who use the facility, (2) the 'preservation' value or priced at well below the cost of provision. The benefits of recreational sites can be divided become users in the future. Categories (2) and (3) have so far defied any serious attempts at of sites to non-users and (3) the 'option' value to participate to non-users who may wish to measurement, so that we are left with estimating the values of users of the facility. In order to calculate the total value to all users, one needs to estimate their 'willingness to pay' rather than to forego the benefits of the site. The 'willingness to pay' for the benefits depend among other things, the entrance fee, the income and educational levels, the travelling cost and distance to the site, and the age to recreationists. Demand for recreation is site-specific, thus illustrations presented in this paper refer to valuing the benefits of a particular site.