The influence of place attachment on recreation demand

The travel cost model is a common tool economists use to estimate non-market values associated with recreation. Very rarely are social psychological variables used in the estimation of these models. Recent recreation literature proposes an important role for psychological attachment to place in recreation settings. The model developed in this paper combined typical variables used in travel cost models with place attachment attitudinal constructs in a structural equation model. The information used in the analysis came from a sample of recreationists who were interviewed at camping sites and completed a mail survey. The combination of these two approaches to study recreation demands resulted in a richer empirical treatment of recreation economic behaviour. The results suggest that recreation habits and social psychological constructs such as place attachment formed through previous trips influence recreation demand and have potential impacts on consumer surplus estimates.