Financing marine protected areas through visitor fees: Insights from tourists willingness to pay in Chile

Stefan Gelcich, Francisca Amar, Abel Valdebenito, Juan Carlos Castilla, Miriam Fernandez, Cecilia Godoy, Duan Biggs

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

54 Scopus citations

Abstract

Tourism is a financing mechanism considered by many donor-funded marine conservation initiatives. Here we assess the potential role of visitor entry fees, in generating the necessary revenue to manage a marine protected area (MPA), established through a Global Environmental Facility Grant, in a temperate region of Chile. We assess tourists' willingness to pay (WTP) for an entry fee associated to management and protection of the MPA. Results show 97 % of respondents were willing to pay an entrance fee. WTP predictors included the type of tourist, tourists' sensitivity to crowding, education, and understanding of ecological benefits of the MPA. Nature-based tourists state median WTP values of US$ 4.38 and Sun-sea-sand tourists US$ 3.77. Overall, entry fees could account for 10-13 % of MPA running costs. In Chile, where funding for conservation runs among the weakest in the world, visitor entry fees are no panacea in the short term and other mechanisms, including direct state/government support, should be considered.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)975-984
Number of pages10
JournalAMBIO
Volume42
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2013
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Aichi targets
  • Conservation
  • Consumer surplus
  • Contingent valuation
  • Human dimensions
  • MPA
  • Nature-based tourism
  • Social-ecological systems

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geography, Planning and Development
  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Ecology

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