Factors determining the demand for water recreation in the Middle Olifant Sub- Basin: A case study of Loskop Recreation Centre in South Africa

Abstract

The aim of the study was to estimate the parameters determining the demand for water recreation and the relationship between the number of trips and the costs to the Loskop Dam recreation site of the Middle Olifant Sub-Basin. Simple random sampling was used to select 48 respondents from the study site and data were collected from the sampled respondents using a structured questionnaire. Factors that determine the number of visits to the middle Olinfant Sub-Basin and the relationship between the number of trips and the cost to the recreation site were identified and quantified using the Poisson Regression and Travel Cost Demand Models, respectively. The analysis revealed that there are factors determining the demand for water recreation in the Loskop Dam recreation center and these factors are gender, race of the respondent, and income of the respondent among others. The analysis further revealed that there is a negative relationship between the number of trips and the cost to the recreation center. The aforementioned findings suggest that the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and Department of Eco- tourism should consider issues around water recreation when distributing water and its resources. The study recommends that the water recreation policy in South Africa should also be effective in order to encourage more developments in water recreation and to stimulate growth of the tourism sector. Key words: Water recreation demand, Middle Olifant, Poisson regression, travel cost demand model,tourists.