An Analysis of Non-exchangeable Values of Rural Environments

Abstract

The value of Indonesian sightseeing is analyzed from various different viewpoints. Conjoint Analysis and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) are used as basic tools for evaluation, where Indonesian sightseeing is divided into three travel type components: nature travel, traditional history travel, and agricultural area travel. The values calculated by ranking-type conjoint models are utilities of each travel plan which are also compared to the utilities of traveling expenses. Surveys were carried out in five countries: Japan, the United States, Netherlands, Singapore, and Indonesia. Using a personal computer, respondents first ranked nine tour plans, which were composed of three travel types as previously mentioned. After that, the respondents compared a set of photographs related to travel types for processing AHP, and they ranked the tour plans again. Nature travel appeared to be the most attractive overall, and agricultural area travel had a negative value except for the Dutch and Indonesian cases. Influences of AHP investigation revealed substantial differences between the five surveys. Agricultural area travel became more attractive after the AHP exercise for Japanese, Singaporeans, and Dutch respondents taken together. Dutch and Indonesians made an interesting change of attitudes after the AHP exercise. This fact was interpreted using the Elaboration Likelihood Model for attitudinal change in social psychology.JEL Classification: Q51