Abstract
Edible wild mushroom picking is becoming an important source of income in rural areas. The wide range of activitieswhich add value to mycological production (initial sale, transformation, marketing, etc.) include those related to tourismwhich can attract visitors to mushroom producing areas, leading to so-called mycological tourism. To date, no researchexists quantifying the importance thereof in rural areas endowed with such resources. The present research provides thefirst model to estimate this activity’s contribution to the economy of rural areas in the region of Castilla y León. The mainfinding to emerge evidences a close link between influx of visitors, who come principally to pick, and mycological productivityin the region. Based on this relation, we estimate four key variables to determine the impact which said activityhas on the regional economy as a whole: the number of overnight stays and trips made by mycological tourists, as wellas associated expenditure and employment created. Findings underscore the importance of this activity in the regionaltourism industry and point to its significance as a major market niche, particularly during the hotel low season. The needfor public administrators to implement a related management policy is also inferred.
Highlights
In recent years, rural tourism has emerged as a viable alternative for boosting development in rural areas in Europe, in less favoured regions (Roig, 2005)
We present a calculation of the relative impact of each of the estimated variables on rural tourism in the region, on the hotel and catering industry as a whole in the region, and on the overall economy of Castilla y León
The present study is the first to gauge the importance of mycological tourism in the economy of rural areas
Summary
Rural tourism has emerged as a viable alternative for boosting development in rural areas in Europe, in less favoured regions (Roig, 2005). Quantifying its impact in rural economies is an emerging line of research in which most international as well as national studies focus primarily on how such a resource is managed within forest planning programmes (Hosford et al, 1997; Palm and Chapela, 1997; Martínez, 2003; Martínez et al, 2003, etc.) Most of these works are based on studies of tourist influx to production areas, and describe the profile of harvesters in terms of number, origin and socioeconomic features. According to data from the Department of Forest Research and Experiences (Spanish acronym: DIEFValonsadero) at the Regional Government of Castilla y León (Martinez et al, 2006), 53.6% of the rural population in the region regularly collect edible wild mushrooms (approximately 516,000 pickers), threequarters of whom state that they do not usually sell what they pick, but harvest for their own consumption This would indicate that some 10,000 tonnes per year of over a dozen species of socioeconomic interest are being harvested. Authors apply a range of different techniques to evaluate intangible goods, those based on observed preferences, such as the cost-travel
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