Willingness to pay for a novel visitor experience: ecotourism planning at Kawdulla National Park in Sri Lanka

ABSTRACT

The objectives of the present study are to determine the existing visitor satisfaction at Kawdulla National Park (KNP) and estimate the visitors’ demand for the ecotourism schemes to be established at KNP which will enhance the visitor satisfaction. A total of 336 respondents were interviewed face-to-face to collect the data and information on visitor satisfaction, visitor characteristics and perceptions. The existing visitor satisfaction level at KNP is 57.5% and in a visitor survey, visitor characteristics and perceptions were identified for a novel visitor experience. Based on the results, ecotourism schemes including visitor services and facilities were identified for a novel visitor experience while enhancing the visitor satisfaction at KNP. These ecotourism schemes were presented as two scenarios and a “contingent valuation” study was conducted. A total of 616 respondents were interviewed face-to-face to estimate their demand for the proposed ecotourism scenarios. The estimated willingness to pay values (WTP) as the park entrance fees per person for KNP were Sri Lanka Rupees (SLR) 95.68 (SLR 130 = USD 1) and SLR 173.88 under the proposed two scenarios 1 and 2, respectively. The park revenue also could be increased by 59.17% and 189.44% annually under these scenarios respectively. Therefore, the cost to be incurred for establishing these ecotourism schemes could be covered through the increased park entrance fees. This study suggests how visitors’ WTP is useful for ecotourism planning at KNP ensuring the visitor satisfaction.