Domestic Recreation Value Of Cotopaxi National Park In Ecuador Using Travel Cost Method

The present research aims to estimate the Recreational Value(RV)of the Cotopaxi National Park(CNP),which is one of the most important attractions of the country and the most visited national park in mainland Ecuador.The RV is very important for the development of new public policies in the field of management for protected areas.Since at the moment,the entrance fees for the National Parks and Ecological Reserves are free consequently,there is a large number of tourists that use the facilities of CNP which are getting deteriorated.The Travel Cost Method(TCM)has been widely used in the field of Tourism Economics.Particularly in studies about the economic valuation of beaches,lakes,heritage sites,and national parks.The TCM is based on the true spending behavior of the tourist while taking a trip.Under this concept,the Individual Travel Cost Method(ITCM)approach Linear-log model regression was used to estimate the Recreational Value of CNP.In order to achieve the mentioned goal,the data for this study was collected through an on-site survey questionnaire,which was conducted to the national tourists and residents who traveled to CNP in the period from the July to September of 2017.The results of the analysis indicate an average willingness to pay(WTP)for a CNP trip of 20.36 USD.Furthermore,the Recreational Value is estimated to be approximately USD 3.29 million annually.It suggests that The Ministry of Environment(MAE)could establish an entrance fee to access the Cotopaxi National Park and with this income to improve the management of the park.