Travel Cost Analysis of Recreation Value in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area

Abstract

Travel cost analysis for Australian tourists to the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area was undertaken in order to derive a consumer surplus value for use in examining benefits of sustainable tourism to the area. Randall’s contention that travel cost analysis produces relative rather than absolute values of welfare was tested by using several different versions of travel cost specification, and found to be supported. Nevertheless, the analysis produced values of a magnitude that indicate high positive benefits from visitor use to the World Heritage Area, provided the area is managed to be ecologically sustainable.