Willingness to Pay for Biodiversity Conservation

Amit Bhandari () and Almas Heshmati ()

No 200938, TEMEP Discussion Papers from Seoul National University; Technology Management, Economics, and Policy Program (TEMEP)

Abstract: Nature based tourism is the fastest growing tourism in many parts of the world. The attitude towards conservation of nature is measured by individuals¡¯willingness to pay. This study has made an attempt to investigate the determinants of tourists¡¯willingness to pay (WTP) for biodiversity conservation. The determinants include a combination of socio-economic and site-specific characteristics of tourists. The study was conducted in Sikkim, which is India¡¯s prime nature based tourism destination. Results show that willingness to pay is determined by the level of education and income of tourists. Among site-specific characteristics length of stay and number of spots are the significant determinants of willingness to pay. This empirical research is a valuable input to identify market segment among tourists, which might help to generate more revenue for biodiversity conservation in Sikkim.

Keywords: Willingness to pay; conservation; tourism; logit model; tobit model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C25 L83 Q26 Q57 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 21 pages
Date: 2009-12, Revised 2009-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr, nep-cul, nep-cwa, nep-env and nep-tur
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:snv:dp2009:200938

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