Recreational Value Of Coastal Habitat Of Bangladesh A Case Study Of Cox's Bazar Sea Beach And Sundarbans Mangrove

Tourism and recreation possess a significant contribution to the national economy and overall wellbeing of people.Due to the economic growth,population increase and urbanization,there exist many use conflicts in coastal zone.Quantification of economic value of coastal habitats is the basis for the planning and management of coastal area to achieve the sustainable development.This study focuses on the economic valuation of Cox's Bazar sea beach and Sundarbans mangrove of Bangladesh.To estimate the recreational value of both coastal habitat,count data(individual travel cost model)is used as the most applicable model.Primary data were collected from the on-site survey through structuring questionnaire.Considering the type of the data,negative binomial regression model is plausible to estimate individual average consumer surplus per trip and demand function of the visitors.Econometric analysis is carried out by E-Views software.After evaluating the co-efficient of total travel cost,the demand curve and consumer surplus per person is calculated.The average individual consumer surplus per trip is considered to calculate the total recreational value both the Cox's Bazar sea beach and Sundarbans mangrove forest.The study estimated that the individual yearly outdoor recreational demand for Cox's Bazar sea beach 2023 taka or 24.67 USD.and for Sundarbans mangrove forest is 17628taka or 214.97 USD.Total annual recreational value of Cox's Bazar sea beach is 2031.72 million taka or 24.48 million USD.and for Sundarbans mangrove 2150.67 million taka or 25.91 million USD.The results acquired from the research could provide scientific support for the implications of policy related to the coastal zone development and protection of coastal habitats.