Evaluating the Recreation Value of Alishan National Forest Recreation Area in Taiwan

This study aimed to construct an effective model to estimate the recreation value and total annual recreation benefits of the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area (ANFR) through the travel cost method. Negative binomial regression was also employed to estimate the demand function. This study sorted participants based on gender, age, level of education, personal monthly income, occupation, and place of residence to examine their differences in perceived recreation value and recreation demand. The survey responses revealed that most tourists were mainly middle aged, and took family vacations. The findings indicate that the recreation benefits of traveling to Alishan per person each year equaled NTD 1703. Furthermore, the annual recreation benefits of Alishan were approximately between NTD 2,157,121,944 and NTD 2,452,136,112 based on a total of 1,353,276 visits traveling to Alishan in 2019. Recommendations and suggestions are drawn for ANFR based the results.

The Benefits of Local Forest Recreation in Austria and Its Dependence on Naturalness and Quietude

The benefits of local recreation in the State-owned forests in Austria (i.e., about 15% of all Austrian forests) are ascertained in this paper. A representative survey of households dealt with their local recreation, perceptions of and disturbances in forests. Total annual benefits of local recreation activities in State-owned forests, such as walking, hiking, cycling and wildlife observation, amount to about EUR 500 per person. Based on the respondents’ valuation of the degree of naturalness and quietude, as well as the options of forest management, the current management increases recreation benefits by EUR 13 per person through increased naturalness, and EUR 1.30 per person and year through increased quietude. Emphasis was placed on the benefits of the current management regime of multifunctional forestry compared to the benefits of a baseline scenario that was drafted specifically for this study, assuming higher levels of lumbering up to the limits allowed by existing nature conservation and forestry laws. The results suggest that forest management has a higher impact on recreational benefits through the naturalness of forests than through reducing artificial noise. A more sustainable forest management could further increase the benefits people derive from both naturalness and lower levels of artificial noise.

"You Can't Be Outside Without Being Part of the Culture": Recommendations for Using Outdoor Recreation to Support International Student Transitions

International students can face linguistic, social, mental and physical challenges (Zhang and Zhou 2010). The findings of a sequential qualitative dominant mixed methodology study, including a survey and three-stage guided walk interviews, position the unique benefits of outdoor recreation as a tool to support cross-cultural transitions. Outdoor recreation benefits include physical and mental health well-being, reduced anxiety, increased social participation, and cultural exchange (Stodolska 2015; Weng and Chiang 2014). To guide universities in stimulating positive international student experiences in the outdoors, the researchers offer recommendations for the integration of outdoor recreation in six phases: (a) recruitment, (b) preparation, (c) orientation, (d) planning, (e) delivery, and (f) evaluation.

Evaluating International Tourists’ Perceptions on Cultural Distance and Recreation Demand

This study employed the travel cost method (TCM) to establish the on-site Poisson model to measure differences in the recreation benefits of Chinese inbound tourists based on the identified cultural distance clusters. Four clusters among the extracted factors of delineated perceptions on cultural distance were identified through the cluster analysis. This study finds that: (1) among four identified cognitive factors of the cultural distance, “social environment” and “personal relationship” were found to be more important than “living arrangement” and “verbal communication” factors; (2) the four cultural distance clusters differ significantly in terms of perceptions on the cultural distance; (3) the economic benefits of culture and heritage tourism ranged between US$4733 to US$6740 for average annual Chinese visitor numbers to Taiwan; (4) the “similar living habits” cluster had higher recreation benefits than the other three cultural distance clusters. The government and travel industries should pay attention to target segments in order to enhance the cultural heritage experience, by delivering an appropriate quality of service to match visitors’ needs and living habits, which in turn, impacts their revisit intent.

Valuing the Recreation Benefits of Natural Springs in Florida

Karst springs are scenic natural resources in karst areas of Florida, currently under threat from increasing groundwater withdrawal from the Floridan Aquifer and pollution resulting from a variety of sources. This paper estimates the current recreation benefits from visiting springs using the travel cost method and elicits residents’ willingness to contribute for springs restoration using the contingent valuation method. It further compares the performance of count data models correcting for endogenous stratification and truncation, and finds that the annual consumer surplus per person per trip is between $20 and $43, and the annual total recreational value for the four springs studied is about $25 million. Furthermore, visitors are willing to contribute $12 to $14 per person per trip for springs restoration without reducing trip demand.

Study on the Appraisal of Tourism Demands and Recreation Benefits for Nanwan Beach, Kenting, Taiwan

This study implemented a questionnaire survey on tourists to the Nanwan Beach, Kenting, Taiwan and then applied the travel cost method to appraise the recreation benefits of the Nanwan Beach. The truncated Poisson model (TPOIS), truncated negative binomial distribution model, and on-site Poisson model were applied in view of the errors caused by truncated samples and endogenous stratification, and the results indicated that: (1) The on-site Poisson model was more suitable than the other two models for estimating the recreation benefits of Nanwan; (2) the three recreational benefit indicators (consumer surplus, compensation variation, and equivalent variation) estimated using the TPOIS model were all significantly greater than those of the on-site Poisson model; (3) the on-site Poisson model estimated the price elasticity and income elasticity of the tourism demands for Nanwan as −0.329 and 0.187, respectively; and (4) on the basis of the on-site Poisson model, the consumer surplus for Nanwan was NT$9639 (approximately US$289) per person per visit, and the annual gross recreation benefits were approximate NT$8.022 billion. The results are expected to provide a valuable reference for management and planning policies of the Kenting National Park.