Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
4759866 | Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism | 2016 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
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 valuableâto plan MTB events at other locations,âto compare the benefits with other landscape related sport events, andâto improve MTB events including environmental information and mitigation of impacts.
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Forestry
Authors
Mario Du Preez, Deborah Ellen Lee,