Abstract:
This study provides information about tourists’ willingness to pay for
trips in Romanian national and natural parks. The contingent valuation
method is used to determine the willingness to pay for trips taken in the parks
for increases in travel costs. Responses to valuation questions are used as
data in econometric models to estimate individual benefits. Bucegi Natural
Park has the lowest values, while Portile de Fier Natural Park has the
highest values. Domogled National Park and Piatra Craiului have similar
values. The median willingness to pay per trip differ among parks, but per
day values reveal different results due to the calculation based on the
average trip length. Per day values are similar for Bucegi, Domogled and
Portile de Fier, respectively individuals are WTP on average 13.52 RON,
13.43 RON and 14.77 RON per day. At Cozia and Piatra Craiului, people
are willing to pay on average more than for the other three parks,
respectively 26.97 RON and 29.57 RON. Results indicate that the contingent
valuation method is a proper instrument to determine the benefits of the
Romanian parks. This study contributes not only with information for park
managers but also as a starting point for more detailed valuation studies.
