The economic value of the Trans Baviaans mountain biking event in the Baviaanskloof Mega-Reserve, Eastern Cape, South Africa: A travel cost analysis using count data models

This paper reports the first formal non-market valuation of a major mountain biking event in South Africa by applying the individual travel cost method (TCM). Due to the non-negative, integer nature of the trip data, several count data models were estimated. Mountain biking is fast becoming one of South Africa's most popular recreational sports and these estimates of economic value may assist policy-makers in managing mountain biking venues in general, and congestion conflicts, specifically. The locus of this study is the annual Trans Baviaans mountain biking event staged in the Baviaanskloof Mega-Reserve situated in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa - part of this reserve was declared a World Heritage Site in 2004. In total, 288 fully completed questionnaires were collected and used in the analysis. The economic value estimated, by employing a negative binomial model with endogenous stratification, for trips taken to the event during 2014 amounted to ZAR2308 (US$201) per person per trip.Management ImplicationsThe paper underlines the substantial benefits of a MTB event. The provided findings are valuable●to plan MTB events at other locations,●to compare the benefits with other landscape related sport events, and●to improve MTB events including environmental information and mitigation of impacts.