Abstract
The Huisun National Forest Recreation Area (HNFRA), which preserves over 85% of the forest to its natural state, provides many forest services, including environmental exploration, ecological conservation, recreation, and ecotourism in Taiwan. This study used analytical methods to analyze the recreational demands that influence tourists’ visits and the recreational value of tourism. The travel cost method (TCM) and the zero-truncated negative binomial regression model to assess the recreational value were chosen. The results revealed that the travel costs for nonlocal visitors were higher than those for local visitors by NT$818.59. The recreational demand was negatively correlated to income and had a significantly positive correlation with place of residence, age, and length of stay. The estimated annual recreational value of HNFRA was NT$3237 per person, and the total annual recreational value was NT$347,270,560. Raising the idea that recreational demand and the willingness to consume has a direct impact on the recreational value. Enhancing the site’s recreational value will be beneficial to ecotourists’ experiences and the management of HNFRA.
Highlights
As reported by Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, Taiwan (2017) [1], the average national income per capita in Taiwan has remarkably increased in the last10 years
The demographic features that this study examined were gender (GENDER), age (AGE), living area (AREA), level of education (EDU), personal monthly income (INC), length of stay (LOS), transportation time (TRATIME), and number of passengers (NIP)
As for the level of education of local and nonlocal visitors, most of the surveyed people had a degree from a university or a college
Summary
As reported by Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, Taiwan (2017) [1], the average national income per capita in Taiwan has remarkably increased in the last. Citizens’ travel demands increased since the “five-workday a week” policy was implemented in 2001. Visiting forests has gradually become a pertinent part of life and it relieves work-related pressure [2]. According to statistics by the Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC), Taiwan (2017) [3], the average number of domestic trips each year increased from 5.57 to 9.04 times a person during 2007 to 2016. The most commonly reported tourist activity (62% of tourists) is visiting forests [3]. Forest recreation is the most important recreational activity in Taiwan
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