The Recreation Value of Piatra Craiului National Park: A Combined Travel Cost and Contingent Valuation Survey

Abstract

This paper describes the steps of estimating the recreation value of a national park bycombining two non-market valuation methods: the Travel Cost Method and the Contingent ValuationMethod. The questionnaire was designed according to both methods by formulating specific questions.The survey was implemented in Piatra Craiului National Park during the summer of 2011, one of themost visited national parks from Romania. The recreation value in terms of consumer surplus per tripis derived from the Poisson model and in terms of willingness to pay per trip from the random effectsprobit model. It was found that tourists gain significant benefits from recreating in the park. Theestimated recreation values are expressed in monetary units and provide justification for attractingfunds for developing tourism opportunities in a sustainable way. Moreover, the findings show thattourists are aware of the value of the park and do appreciate the opportunities offered by the parkadministrations. However, the process of revealing the benefits people gain after visiting the parkshould receive more attention from the decision makers when developing the management plans.