How does ‘crowding’ affect visitor satisfaction at the Horton Plains National Park in Sri Lanka?

•Visitor carrying capacities of a National Park were determined using normative theory.•Willingness to pay values for each crowding level were estimated.•Visitor satisfaction was measured in monetary values.

This study investigates how crowding affects visitor satisfaction at the Horton Plains National Park (HPNP) in Sri Lanka. ‘Crowding’ is considered as a norm for estimating social carrying capacity. ‘Normative theory’ is applied to estimate social norm curves for each viewing point in HPNP to examine the relationship between crowding and visitor satisfaction. The findings indicate that visitor satisfaction decreases with crowding. Using the data on acceptability levels (satisfaction), a multinomial logit model estimates the willingness to pay (WTP) for each scenario, and indicates WTP decreases with crowding. The results of the present study may aid decision making by Park management with regard to (a) fee structures and (b) diversifying tourist activities within the Park for the purpose of enhancing visitor satisfaction while minimizing the crowding.