Comparison of Contingent Valuation and Travel Cost Methods to Estimate Outdoor Recreation Value of Recreation, Tourism and Aesthetic Function of Bamou National Park

Abstract

Background and Objective: Valuation of functions and Non-Market services of environment are important for many reasons such as identifying and understanding the environmental and ecological benefits by humans, presentation of environmental issues to decision makers and planners, providing link between economic policies and natural revenues and assess the role and importance of environmental resources in support of human welfare and sustainable development. Methods: In this study, recreational value of Bamou Park is estimated and measured with using two methods of contingent value and travel cost. For this purpose, 315 questionnaires from visitor to extract the required data have been matched. Findings: Based on estimated results, variables: inhabitance, distance from park, first visit, number of visit, Deontologist, education, travel cost, visitors income, museum existence, and existence of Animal species such as deer, wolf, wild ram and cinereous vulture is effective variable on willingness to pay of visitor in 2011. Results show that monthly expected willingness to pay of consequentialist and deontologist visitors is 51397 and 61028 Rial respectively. Finally, recreational value of Bamou Park estimated in 2 methods is 1.085 and 1.975 Billion Rial respectively in 2011. Discussion and Conclusion:  Since that travel cost method used market price information and revealed willingness to pay and also 90.7 percentages of visitors are Zone inhabitance and travel cost function was ideal form econometrics theoretical aspect, preferred using travel cost method instead of contingent value method to valuating the Bamou National Park in 2011.