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What is the Value of Eco-Tourism? An Evaluation of Forested Trails for Community Residents and Visitors

Author

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  • Wan-Jiun Chen

    (Department of Economics, Chinese Culture University, 55 Hwa-Kung Road, 111 Yang-Ming Shan, Taipei, Taiwan)

  • Shyue-Cherng Liaw

    (Department of Geography, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan)

Abstract

It is hoped that the development of ecotourism will ultimately eliminate the negative impacts of tourism on environmental and ecological systems. This study applies the contingent valuation method to assess the economic values of services provided by forested trails newly opened for recreational purposes. The objective is to evaluate the benefits received by the two main user groups: local residents and visitors to the three trails in I-Lan County, Taiwan. In Taiwan, the demand for outdoor recreation is increasing and trails in marginal forest areas have to deal with the conflicting needs for recreation and conservation. The monetary valuation results show that the three forested trails have significant values for both visitors and residents and that to develop ecotourism for the purposes of trail use and conservation will benefit both groups. However, local residents value the trails more than visitors due to their higher reliance on them and their interactions with them: the residents have long lived in the local villages and have relied on their surroundings to earn their living. The visitors, by contrast, visit the trails only occasionally. The authors conclude that the sustainable development of ecourism can maintain the values generated from the trails and deal successfully with the conflict of needs between recreational exploitation and conservation.

Suggested Citation

  • Wan-Jiun Chen & Shyue-Cherng Liaw, 2012. "What is the Value of Eco-Tourism? An Evaluation of Forested Trails for Community Residents and Visitors," Tourism Economics, , vol. 18(4), pages 871-885, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:toueco:v:18:y:2012:i:4:p:871-885
    DOI: 10.5367/te.2012.0146
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Vasja Roblek & Danijel Drpić & Maja Meško & Vedran Milojica, 2021. "Evolution of Sustainable Tourism Concepts," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-21, November.
    3. Chyi-Rong Chiou & Jiunn-Cheng Lin & Wan-Yu Liu & Tsung-Wei Lin, 2016. "Assessing the recreational value of protective forests at Taitung Forest Park in Taiwan," Tourism Economics, , vol. 22(5), pages 1132-1140, October.
    4. Eugene Ezebilo, 2016. "Willingness to Pay for Maintenance of a Nature Conservation Area: A Case of Mount Wilhelm, Papua New Guinea," Asian Social Science, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(9), pages 149-149, September.
    5. Fernanda Oliveira & Pedro Pintassilgo & Patrícia Pinto & Isabel Mendes & João Albino Silva, 2017. "Segmenting visitors based on willingness to pay for recreational benefits," Tourism Economics, , vol. 23(3), pages 680-691, May.
    6. Hisako Nomura & Nguyen Bich Hong & Mitsuyasu Yabe, 2018. "Effective Use and Management of Kunisaki Peninsula Usa GIAHS Long Trail—A Sustainable Tourism Model leading to Regional Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-14, February.
    7. Lihuan Guo & Dongqiang Guo & Wei Wang & Hongwei Wang & Yenchun Jim Wu, 2018. "Distance Diffusion of Home Bias for Crowdfunding Campaigns between Categories: Insights from Data Analytics," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-22, April.

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