2002 World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists

The Republic of Georgia is looking to tourism to support an expanding system of national parks and reserves. Tourism is expected to provide revenues for park management and income for local people, as well as benefits to the tourists themselves. There are potential trade-offs among these goals that the government will have to consider in setting entrance fee policy for the parks. A random sample survey was carried out in 1999 among the residents of five Georgian cities to explore their interest in and WTP for visiting five newly established national parks. We use parametric and non-parametric methods to identify determinants of interest in visiting the parks, expected trip expenditures, and willingness to pay entrance fees. The split sample format of the survey allows us to consider the implications of annual passes vs. daily entrance fees in terms of the resulting trade-offs among park revenues, local development and visitor welfare.



	Paper Title:	Financing Conservation And Development With Tourism: Park Entrance Fees In The Republic Of Georgia
	Presenting Author:	Tijen Arin (World Bank)
	Coauthor 1:	Erin O Sills
	Coauthor 2:
	Coauthor 3:
	Abstract:	The Republic of Georgia is looking to tourism to support an expanding system of national parks and reserves. Tourism is expected to provide revenues for park management and income for local people, as well as benefits to the tourists themselves. There are potential trade-offs among these goals that the government will have to consider in setting entrance fee policy for the parks. A random sample survey was carried out in 1999 among the residents of five Georgian cities to explore their interest in and WTP for visiting five newly established national parks. We use parametric and non-parametric methods to identify determinants of interest in visiting the parks, expected trip expenditures, and willingness to pay entrance fees. The split sample format of the survey allows us to consider the implications of annual passes vs. daily entrance fees in terms of the resulting trade-offs among park revenues, local development and visitor welfare.
	Link to paper:	Not available

	Session / Day / Time	10E / Wednesday / 10:15 - 11:45 am

	Please use your browser's "back" button to get to the previous page.