The Economic Benefits of Snowmobiling to Wyoming Residents: A Travel Cost Approach with Market Segmentation

Abstract

Little research has been done on the economic benefits of snowmobiling. This study uses cluster analysis to identify different snowmobiler segments, and then uses the travel cost method to estimate the respective consumer surplus values for the pooled sample and the different market segments. Consumer surplus per trip for the pooled sample is $68 and for the different market segments ranged from $31 to $101 per trip. Differences between the pooled model and segments highlight the importance of differentiating recreational users for both management related issues and for economic benefit measurements.