Valuing Beach Closures on the Padre Island National Seashore

George Parsons (), Christopher Leggett, Kevin Boyle and Ami Kang
Additional contact information
George Parsons: Graduate College of Marine Studies and Department of Economics,University of Delaware
Christopher Leggett: Industrial Economics, Incorporated
Kevin Boyle: Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics, Virginia Tech
Ami Kang: Graduate College of Marine Studies, University of Delaware

No 08-10, Working Papers from University of Delaware, Department of Economics

Abstract: In this paper we estimate the economic loss of hypothetical beach closures on the Padre Island National Seashore on the Gulf Coast of Texas. We use a travel cost random utility maximization (RUM) model with data from a random phone survey of Texas residents completed in 2001. We simulate realistic closures that may occur in event of an oil spill or other disruption. For comparison we valued the loss of beach closures in the heavily populated Galveston area. The aggregate losses on Padre Island were highest on weekend days in July estimated at $171,000 per day of closure(2001$). They were lowest on weekdays in September at $25,000. Per trip losses were about $28. A similar closure of beaches near Galveston resulted in losses of $263,000 (week day) and $852,000 (weekend day) with a per trip loss of $30.

Keywords: random utility model; beach use; non-market valuation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q26 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008

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Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:dlw:wpaper:08-10.

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