Tourists' preferences for congestion, residents' welfare and the ecosystems in a national park

- Tourists may show different preferences for the destination according to the level of congestion.
- Tourists are willing to make significant trade-offs for the increase in the welfare of the local communities.
- Tourists are willing to make significant trade-offs for the restoration of ecosystem services.
- A higher number of tourists could imply a higher level of pressure on the fragile ecosystems.

The management of national parks and natural areas often faces a balance between the residents' welfare, the tourist activity and the pressure on ecosystems. This paper assesses the benefits for a set of policies designed to address tourist congestion, the increase in the welfare of the local populations, and the improvements in the ecosystem services (coral reefs, mangroves, dry forests, and coastal and sandy ecosystems). We utilize a discrete choice experiment approach with the consideration of potential heterogeneity. Results show that there are three segments of visitors with different preferences for the proposed policies. Those tourists with higher values for the environmental policies and welfare of the local communities also share a preference for a lower level of congestion at the natural areas. The results have implications for managing natural areas at tourist destinations.