IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/toueco/v10y2004i3p317-328.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Estimating Consumer Surplus and Elasticity of Demand of Tourist Visitation to a Region in North Queensland Using Contingent Valuation

Author

Listed:
  • Romy Greiner

    (CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Davies Laboratory, PMB Aitkenvale, Townsville, Queensland 4814, Australia)

  • John Rolfe

    (Central Queensland University, PO Box 197, Emerald, Queensland 4720, Australia)

Abstract

The Daintree Rainforest is a prime attraction for Tropical North Queensland as a tourist destination. Visitation of the rainforest, specifically the Cape Tribulation section, has increased rapidly as impediments to self-drive access have been removed. This paper examines the potential for the local council to manage the volume of self-drive visitation to the Cape Tribulation region by price mechanisms. Access to the region is by river ferry only. The assessment is based on estimates of willingness to pay from a contingent valuation survey of self-drive tourists to the region, from which estimates of consumer surplus and price elasticity of demand are derived. It is concluded that increasing the price for ferry crossings could be an effective and efficient means of (a) reducing traffic volumes caused by self-drive visitors and thereby alleviating traffic-related social and environmental problems, and (b) significantly increasing the resource rent which the municipality can draw from tourism, with additional revenue from the ferry being available for the improved management of this prime tourist destination.

Suggested Citation

  • Romy Greiner & John Rolfe, 2004. "Estimating Consumer Surplus and Elasticity of Demand of Tourist Visitation to a Region in North Queensland Using Contingent Valuation," Tourism Economics, , vol. 10(3), pages 317-328, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:toueco:v:10:y:2004:i:3:p:317-328
    DOI: 10.5367/0000000041895076
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.5367/0000000041895076
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.5367/0000000041895076?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Green, Donald & Jacowitz, Karen E. & Kahneman, Daniel & McFadden, Daniel, 1998. "Referendum contingent valuation, anchoring, and willingness to pay for public goods," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 85-116, June.
    2. Stavros Georgiou & Dale Whittington & David Pearce & Dominic Moran, 1997. "Economic Values and the Environment in the Developing World," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 1163.
    3. Timothy C. Haab & Kenneth E. McConnell, 2002. "Valuing Environmental and Natural Resources," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 2427.
    4. Bateman, Ian J. & Langford, Ian H. & Jones, Andrew P. & Kerr, Geoffrey N., 2001. "Bound and path effects in double and triple bounded dichotomous choice contingent valuation," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 191-213, July.
    5. Ian H. Langford & Ian J. Bateman & Andrew P. Jones & Hugh D. Langford & Stavros Georgiou, 1998. "Improved Estimation of Willingness to Pay in Dichotomous Choice Contingent Valuation Studies," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 74(1), pages 65-75.
    6. Steiner, T. J. & Bristow, A. L., 2000. "Road pricing in National Parks: a case study in the Yorkshire Dales National Park," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 7(2), pages 93-103, April.
    7. Paul R. Portney, 1994. "The Contingent Valuation Debate: Why Economists Should Care," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 8(4), pages 3-17, Fall.
    8. Beal, Diana J., 1995. "A Travel Cost Analysis of the Value of Carnarvon Gorge National Park for Recreational Use," Review of Marketing and Agricultural Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 63(02), pages 1-12, August.
    9. Hoehn, John P. & Randall, Alan, 1987. "A satisfactory benefit cost indicator from contingent valuation," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 14(3), pages 226-247, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Brian Witt, 2019. "Tourists’ Willingness to Pay Increased Entrance Fees at Mexican Protected Areas: A Multi-Site Contingent Valuation Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-22, May.
    2. Tran Huu Tuan & Henrik Lindhjem, 2008. "Meta-analysis of nature conservation values in Asia & Oceania: Data heterogeneity and benefit transfer issues," EEPSEA Research Report rr2008072, Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA), revised Jul 2008.
    3. Luis César Herrero & José ángel Sanz & María Devesa, 2011. "Measuring the Economic Value and Social Viability of a Cultural Festival as a Tourism Prototype," Tourism Economics, , vol. 17(3), pages 639-653, June.
    4. John Rolfe & Brenda Dyack, 2010. "Testing for convergent validity between travel cost and contingent valuation estimates of recreation values in the Coorong, Australia ," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 54(4), pages 583-599, October.
    5. Marina Farr & Natalie Stoeckl & Rabiul Alam Beg, 2011. "The efficiency of the Environmental Management Charge in the Cairns management area of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 55(3), pages 322-341, July.
    6. Carmelo J. León & Jorge E. Araña & Matías González & Javier de León, 2014. "Tourists' Evaluation of Climate Change Risks in the Canary Islands: A Heterogeneous Response Modelling Approach," Tourism Economics, , vol. 20(4), pages 849-868, August.
    7. Maldonado, Jorge H. & Moreno-Sánchez, Rocío del Pilar & Espinoza, Sophía & Bruner, Aaron & Garzón, Natalia & Myers, John, 2018. "Peace is much more than doves: The economic benefits of bird-based tourism as a result of the peace treaty in Colombia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 78-86.
    8. León, Carmelo J. & de León, Javier & Araña, Jorge E. & González, Matías M., 2015. "Tourists' preferences for congestion, residents' welfare and the ecosystems in a national park," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 21-29.
    9. Schiff, Aaron & Becken, Susanne, 2011. "Demand elasticity estimates for New Zealand tourism," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 564-575.
    10. Seetaram, Neelu & Song, Haiyan & Ye, Shun & Page, Stephen, 2018. "Estimating willingness to pay air passenger duty," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 85-97.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Greiner, Romy & Rolfe, John, 2003. "Estimating consumer surplus and elasticity of demand of tourist visitation to a region in North Queensland using contingent valuation," 2003 Conference (47th), February 12-14, 2003, Fremantle, Australia 57881, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    2. Richard T. Carson, 2011. "Contingent Valuation," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 2489.
    3. Rolfe, John & Prayaga, Prabha, 2007. "Estimating values for recreational fishing at freshwater dams in Queensland," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 51(2), pages 1-18.
    4. Robert Gillespie & Jeff Bennett, 2011. "Willingness to pay for recycling food waste in the Brisbane Region," Environmental Economics Research Hub Research Reports 1096, Environmental Economics Research Hub, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
    5. Rolfe, John & Prayaga, Prabha, 2006. "Estimating Values for Recreational Fishing at Freshwater Dams in Queensland," 2006 Conference (50th), February 8-10, 2006, Sydney, Australia 139896, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    6. Richard Carson & Theodore Groves, 2007. "Incentive and informational properties of preference questions," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 37(1), pages 181-210, May.
    7. Robert J. Johnston & Kevin J. Boyle & Wiktor (Vic) Adamowicz & Jeff Bennett & Roy Brouwer & Trudy Ann Cameron & W. Michael Hanemann & Nick Hanley & Mandy Ryan & Riccardo Scarpa & Roger Tourangeau & Ch, 2017. "Contemporary Guidance for Stated Preference Studies," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 4(2), pages 319-405.
    8. Chilton, S. M. & Hutchinson, W. G., 2003. "A qualitative examination of how respondents in a contingent valuation study rationalise their WTP responses to an increase in the quantity of the environmental good," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 65-75, February.
    9. Tuan, Tran Huu & Navrud, Stale, 2009. "Applying the dissonance-minimising format to value cultural heritage in developing countries," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 53(3), pages 1-17.
    10. Richard T. Carson & Miko_aj Czajkowski, 2014. "The discrete choice experiment approach to environmental contingent valuation," Chapters, in: Stephane Hess & Andrew Daly (ed.), Handbook of Choice Modelling, chapter 9, pages 202-235, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    11. Daniel McFadden, 2009. "The human side of mechanism design: a tribute to Leo Hurwicz and Jean-Jacque Laffont," Review of Economic Design, Springer;Society for Economic Design, vol. 13(1), pages 77-100, April.
    12. Catherine L. Kling & Daniel J. Phaneuf & Jinhua Zhao, 2012. "From Exxon to BP: Has Some Number Become Better Than No Number?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 26(4), pages 3-26, Fall.
    13. Powe, N. A. & Bateman, I. J., 2003. "Ordering effects in nested 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' contingent valuation designs," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 255-270, June.
    14. Jingchao, Zhang & Kotani, Koji & Saijo, Tatsuyoshi, 2018. "Public acceptance of environmentally friendly heating in Beijing: A case of a low temperature air source heat pump," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 75-85.
    15. Veisten, Knut, 2007. "Contingent valuation controversies: Philosophic debates about economic theory," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 204-232, April.
    16. Watson, Verity & Ryan, Mandy, 2007. "Exploring preference anomalies in double bounded contingent valuation," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 463-482, May.
    17. Richard Carson & Nicholas Flores & Norman Meade, 2001. "Contingent Valuation: Controversies and Evidence," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 19(2), pages 173-210, June.
    18. Paul Mwebaze & Jeff Bennett & Nigel W. Beebe & Gregor J. Devine & Paul Barro, 2018. "Economic Valuation of the Threat Posed by the Establishment of the Asian Tiger Mosquito in Australia," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 71(2), pages 357-379, October.
    19. Robert Gillespie & Jeff Bennett, 2011. "Non Use Economic Values of Marine Protected Areas in the South-West Marine Area," Environmental Economics Research Hub Research Reports 10103, Environmental Economics Research Hub, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
    20. Yusuf, Arief Anshory & Resosudarmo, Budy P., 2009. "Does clean air matter in developing countries' megacities? A hedonic price analysis of the Jakarta housing market, Indonesia," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(5), pages 1398-1407, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:toueco:v:10:y:2004:i:3:p:317-328. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.