Understanding geopark visitors' preferences and willingness to pay for global geopark management and conservation

Abstract

This study investigated the preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) of geopark visitors by employing the contingent valuation method (CVM). A total of 648 responses were collected through questionnaire survey to obtain information on geopark visitors' preferences and their WTP for a geopark visit. The results of principal component analysis indicated that geopark visitors' preferences could be categorised into two groups. One group was about the intrinsic value of the geopark, and the other group was the extrinsic facilities. The results of cluster analysis classified two groups of geopark visitors showing different preferences of geopark visits. The CVM results found that geopark visitors are generally willing to pay an admission fee for a geopark visit, and the mean WTP was HK$134.91 (US$17.3), implying that they are willing to shoulder the financial support for geopark management and conservation. Geopark visitors' demographic attributes and preferences were significantly associated with WTP. The findings provide important information for geopark managers for planning and marketing of geotourism.

Keywords:

• geotourism
• geopark
• geopark visitor
• preference
• willingness to pay

Acknowledgments

The Authors would like to thank the two anonymous referees for their helpful comments on a previous version of the paper.

Funding

This research was supported by a start-up research grant by the Hong Kong Institute of Education [RG45/11-12-R3319].