VISITOR WILLINGNESS TO PAY CONSERVATION FEES AT CMC TIGA WARNA IN MALANG, INDONESIA

Abstract

This paper was aimed at investigating the factors that influence visitors' willingness to pay (WTP) for conservation fees for the Clungup Mangrove Conservation (CMC) Tiga Warna project in Malang, Indonesia. The contingent valuation method (CVM) was used to estimate the amount that visitors would be willing to pay in additional conservation fees to enable improvements to be made to the CMC Tiga Warna area. The results that were obtained from 311 respondents indicated that visitors were willing to pay an additional Rp 12829.58 per person on top of the initial conservation fee of Rp 10,000. In terms of the socio-demographic variables, age and marital status had a significant impact on the willingness to pay. Furthermore, the results indicated that those visitors who had a higher perceived value and a higher level of trust in the managers of the CMC Tiga Warna tended to contribute more to the area. The results of this study will serve as a valuable guide for managers in adjusting prices and making management decisions to ensure the further sustainability of ecotourism at the CMC Tiga Warna area.