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Assessing the Recreational Value of World Heritage Site Inscription: A Longitudinal Travel Cost Analysis of Mount Fuji Climbers
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This study evaluates the longitudinal impact of world heritage site (WHS) inscription on the recreational value of Mount Fuji. Using a zonal travel cost model (ZTCM), the recreational value is estimated during consecutive summer climbing seasons (2008-2013). Per capita visit rates from 21 zones are used to calibrate the longitudinal ZTCM with panel count data estimation and calculate the consumer surplus (CS) in the years before and after inscription, offering a revealed preference evaluation of pre-and post-WHS economic benefit. Findings suggest that the value did not fluctuate significantly after WHS inscription. Furthermore, a series of spatial-temporal analyses are conducted using GIS to investigate the spatial distribution of zonal CS estimates. Two clusters revealed significant change: the central Japan region and the southern outlying region. This study's originality derives from its longitudinal approach to monitoring recreational value of cultural heritage, employing primary data collected from Fuji climbers over six seasons.
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... It can be considered that the initial objectives of the World Heritage classification, which served as a wake -up call and a way of mobilising resources for the conservation of the classified assets, have been surpassed by the value that the classification has as a globally recognised brand which can be used in a differentiation strategy for a tourist destination. The sharp growth in the number of applications can be seen as evidence of this greater purpose (Jones, Yang, & Yamamoto, 2017). ...
... In the discussion about the effects of classification, it is also considered a dimension that states that classification can have an effect contrary to its purposes of encouraging conservation. Jones, Yang, & Yamamoto (2017) consider that besides the physical effects caused by the frequency of too many tourists, it is also possible to witness the deterioration of local customs and experiences, that is, the intangible part of a property, which is what guarantees its authenticity. Interesting, also, a sociological approach, provided by Elliott e Schmutz (2012), who consider World Heritage as a unique aspect of contemporary globalization. ...
... However, it is extremely complicated to perceive whether a particular tourist destination would have developed similarly if it had not received the distinction of World Heritage. The reading of several studies, carried out by Jones, Yang, & Yamamoto (2017), leads these authors to conclude that attempts to correlate the attribution of the classification by UNESCO and the increase in the volume of tourists are controversial. On the one hand, there are studies that show increases in the number of visitors to places in China after classification. ...
"The World Heritage classification emerges as a universal form of validation and dissemination of the heritage value, being a relevant tool for the communication of tourist destinations. The aim of this article is to understand the effects of the World Heritage classification on urban tourist destinations, by confronting the theoretical fundaments of urban tourism and patrimonialization with case studies that seek to evaluate the objectives and results of the World Heritage classification in these places. The different studies reviewed do not allow for a common generalized conclusion but enable to identify some destinations where the World Heritage seal has become an important factor in increasing the notoriety of the tourist destination, and, also, to recognize cities that have several factors that appeal to the visit, where the classification is not proven to be a determining factor in the attraction process for the destination."
... This paper therefore aims to inform this discussion by providing a much-needed comparative study offering evidence for a large number of locations. We explore whether locations with a WHS label show more sustainable tourism development than sites without a WHS label, focusing on the experience and satisfaction of tourists (Buhalis, 2000;Jones et al., 2017;Mariani & Guizzardi, 2020;Yang & Lin, 2011). ...
... Overall, our study underscores a significant relationship between the WHS label and local tourism development. Economic diversity and an enriched experience, encompassing a broader array of amenities and attractions within a location, serve as indicators of more sustainable regional tourism development (Jones et al., 2017;Poria et al., 2011;Yang & Lin, 2011). However, the literature on place branding cautions against potential disadvantages associated with well-known labels. ...
... TCM slowly evolved because it was conditioned by the uncertainty of treating the opportunity cost of time as an element of the price of the visit [29][30][31][32][33][34]. The economic valuation of environmental goods and services is not an easy task [35]. ...
Background & Study Aim: There are 23 national parks in Poland which are very valuable in terms of rare flora and fauna. Their terrain is particularly valuable in nature, but their value is difficult to assess using monetary measures. Out of the most popular Polish National parks, we decided to compare the value of recreational assets of two mountain parks: Tatra National Park (TPN) and Giant Mountains (Karkonosze) National Park (KPN). Due to many similarities in their richness and uniqueness of natural, cultural, historical and landscape values, we formulated the following hypothesis “The economic values of recreational assets per km2 for the TPN and the KPN are similar” – and the truth of this hypothesis is the aim of the work.
Material & Methods: To evaluate the examined national parks, we used the individual travel cost method. Then we compared values of TPN and KPN.
Results: Travel Cost Method value of the discussed parks amounted to almost 28 billion PLN (USD 7.7 billion) for TPN but for KPN it was only PLN 6.6 billion (USD 1.8 billion). However, the economic values of recreational assets per sq. km (PLN/USD) were similar: for TPN 132 million PLN (36.3 million USD) and 111.5 million PLN (30.7 million USD) for KPN. The annual stream of benefits amounted to almost PLN 420 million (USD 115.6 million) for the TPN and PLN 99.5 million (USD 27.4 million) for the KPN. Moreover, TPN’s annual stream of benefits almost doubled since M. Giergiczny’s valuation in 2001 (PLN 204.3 million / $ 56.24 million at 2016 prices).
Conclusions: We verified positively hypothesis ‘The values per km2 for the TPN and the KPN are similar’. The values of recreational assets per km2 for the TPN and the KPN are similar. In the future a valuation and comparative analysis of all Polish national parks is planned.
... The world heritage designation absorbs higher international visitors (Hosseini et al. 2021;Caust and Vecco 2017). Gao and Su (2019) and Jones et al. (2017) contradicted the argument and proposed that the WHS badge does not impact massive tourist arrival and economic value heightening. Castillo-Manzano et al. (2021) reconciled the debate arguing that the branding of WHS does not hold equal valorized economic benefit across sites. ...
The study aims to evaluate the economic importance of two world heritage sites (WHS), the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world and the Shat Gambuj Mosque (SGM), a medieval edifice, located in Bangladesh as tourist destinations. In addition, we explored the socio-cultural and environmental externalities that evolve from tourism. The study applied the Travel Cost Method (TCM) to perform the economic valuation of these two heritage sites, and adopted Key Informant Interviews (KII) technique to understand the social and environmental externalities. This tridimensional investigation in heritage tourism marks a unique contribution to the field of existing literature. Results reveal a substantial consumer surplus (CS), which is almost five times larger than the current average travel cost. The CS yields an annual economic benefit worth US$ 68.4 million for these two sites. The factors associated with tourists’ travel demand provide evidence that traveling habits along with socioeconomic attributes are crucial determinants of heritage tourism. Although heritage tourism has a positive effect on societal elements, some negative externalities pose threats to the Sundarbans’ natural resources and biodiversity. The resulting tourism value and externalities on society and the environment should be rethought in the site conservation and further flourishment of sustainable heritage tourism.
... The world heritage designation absorbs higher international visitors (Hosseini et al. 2021;Caust and Vecco 2017). Gao and Su (2019) and Jones et al. (2017) contradicted the argument and proposed that the WHS badge does not impact massive tourist arrival and economic value heightening. Castillo-Manzano et al. (2021) reconciled the debate arguing that the branding of WHS does not hold equal valorized economic benefit across sites. ...
The study aims to evaluate the economic importance of two world heritage sites (WHS), the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world and the Shat Gambuj Mosque (SGM), a medieval edifice, located in Bangladesh as tourist destinations. In addition, we explored the socio-cultural and environmental externalities that evolve from tourism. The study applied the Travel Cost Method (TCM) to perform the economic valuation of these two heritage sites, and adopted Key Informant Interviews (KII) technique to understand the social and environmental externalities. This tridimensional investigation in heritage tourism marks a unique contribution to the field of existing literature. Results reveal a substantial consumer surplus (CS), which is almost five times larger than the current average travel cost. The CS yields an annual economic benefit worth US$ 68.4 million for these two sites. The factors associated with tourists’ travel demand provide evidence that traveling habits along with socioeconomic attributes are crucial determinants of heritage tourism. Although heritage tourism has a positive effect on societal elements, some negative externalities pose threats to the Sundarbans’ natural resources and biodiversity. The resulting tourism value and externalities on society and the environment should be rethought in the site conservation and further flourishment of sustainable heritage tourism.
Cities are notable tourist destinations, responsible for important tourist flows. These are territories that present different dynamics, evolutions and functional transformations, visible, especially in their historic centres. The material and immaterial evidence of these dynamics configure important representations of cultural heritage that are the basis for the development of urban tourist attractions. The recognition of heritage value results from cultural perceptions and visions of different types of actors, which can be varied according to locations, aims and relationships with culture in general. However, there are relatively more consensual validations of the notion of cultural heritage, being, eventually, the most consensual on a planetary scale, the World Heritage classification by UNESCO. In terms of tourist attraction, the World Heritage seal is an expressive communication tool. As such, several researchers dedicate efforts to understanding the importance that the World Heritage classification has for the development of tourist destinations. The literature review allows finding case studies that show a high importance of classification for the growth of destinations, but others do not show that classification is a determining factor. Therefore, this study intends to contribute to this discussion with a dual purpose; to carry out a collection of case studies that demonstrate the different types of effects and to develop a case study applied to the city of Porto (Portugal). Understanding the importance of World Heritage classification for the success of this tourist destination led to the methodological option of a mixed study that includes tourism supply and demand. In terms of supply, through a sample of 29 tourist accommodations, interviews were carried out with managers and analysis on websites to understand the importance that is given and expressed in terms of communication about the World Heritage. On the demand side, surveys were carried out with 415 guests of tourist accommodations to assess how the World Heritage influenced their decision to visit the city.
This paper investigates the long‐term impacts of a mega event, using the case of the London 2012 Olympics' impacts on Weymouth and Portland (as a joint destination in Southern England). The study used the 2 sets of data, collected in 2003 and 2017, containing the residents' perceptions before and after the event. The findings revealed important changes in terms of residents' perceptions towards the impacts of the London 2012 Olympics over the 14 years, such as an improvement in perceived positive impacts, a higher level of tourism involvement, the better perception of destination attributes, the relationship between destination nature attributes and the perceived negative impacts, and the more significant role of the perceived negative impacts. Different implications for the UK tourism industry, in particular British seaside resorts, and a wider context are also discussed.
Abstracta
Este artículo investiga los impactos a largo plazo de un megaevento, utilizando el caso de los impactos de los Juegos Olímpicos de Londres 2012 en Weymouth y Portland (como destino conjunto en el sur de Inglaterra). El estudio utilizó los 2 conjuntos de datos, recopilados en 2003 y 2017, que contenían las percepciones de los residentes antes y después del evento. Los hallazgos revelaron cambios importantes en cuanto a las percepciones de los residentes sobre los impactos de los Juegos Olímpicos de Londres 2012 durante los 14 años, como una mejora en los impactos positivos percibidos, un mayor nivel de participación en el turismo, una mejor percepción de los atributos del destino, la relación entre atributos de la naturaleza del destino y los impactos negativos percibidos, y el papel más significativo de los impactos negativos percibidos. También se analizan diferentes implicaciones para la industria del turismo del Reino Unido, en particular los balnearios británicos, y un contexto más amplio.
A valoração ambiental é uma ferramenta importante para a tomada de decisão na gestão ambiental, porém, ainda carece de aplicações em contextos diversos, viabilizando a consolidação das suas diferentes abordagens metodológicas. Desse modo, o presente estudo objetivou estimar o valor econômico de uso recreativo do Parque Nacional de Brasília, capital do Brasil, e determinar a elasticidade preço-demanda dos visitantes residentes no Distrito Federal. Utilizou-se a abordagem zonal do método do custo de viagem. Para tanto, foram aplicados questionários dentro do parque nos meses de fevereiro e março de 2020 com o intuito de obter informações sobre custo de viagem, quantidade de visitas e dados socioeconômicos dos visitantes residentes no Distrito Federal. Em seguida, por meio de análise de regressão característica do método do custo de viagem, obteve-se o valor econômico do parque. O valor econômico de uso recreativo do Parque Nacional de Brasília foi de R 55.762.205,7 a R$ 219.552.680,9/ano. Verificou-se, pela abordagem zonal, que a demanda por visitas dos residentes na capital brasileira foi elástica, pois um aumento no preço do ingresso afetou negativamente o bem-estar dos usuários do parque, reduzindo a frequência de visitas e o valor recreativo do parque. A relevância dessas informações demonstrou que existe um potencial valor econômico de uso direto do Parque Nacional de Brasília.
The objective of this research is to compare the economic benefits (defined as visitor spending) and costs of a UNESCO World Heritage (WH) designation. The study focuses on two sites in Nova Scotia; Old Town Lunenburg (designated as a WH site in 1995) and Grand Pré National Historic Site (which has applied for a WH status). Pre/post designation visitation data from Lunenburg was used to quantify the impact (6.2%) in the Nova Scotia context. A proportional (to visitation) impact was projected for Grand Pré. The analysis indicates that the level of visitation is important in determining economic viability and that the rising costs of a WH designation further challenge smaller scale attractions.
UNESCO’s World Heritage Site (WHS) list aims to mobilize resources for conservation. After inscription in 2013, a new pilot system was introduced at Mount Fuji encouraging climbers to donate ￥1000 towards improved environmental conservation. This paper reports the results of a questionnaire survey conducted in the summer 2013 season. Fuji climber segments were investigated to compare their socio-economic characteristics, level of awareness and willingness to pay (WTP) the new donation. Results of an a priori segment analysis revealed broad differences between Japanese and international climbers, with 71% of the latter unaware about the new fee prior to climbing Fuji, compared to only 8% of Japanese. At ￥1000, WTP among Japanese (88%) was much higher than among international (50%) climbers, but of the latter, those with prior awareness (72%) showed significantly greater WTP than those without (43%). These findings suggest that priming climbers to increase levels of prior awareness is vital for compliance. As the new trial donation was duly extended for the 2014-15 seasons on a 24 hour basis, these findings have applied implications for improving management through a better understanding of visitor segments, along with more targeted multilingual messaging to raise awareness and WTP among international climbers.
Management plans have now been published for the five United Kingdom industrial World Heritage Sites—Ironbridge Gorge, the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape, the Derwent Valley Mills, New Lanark, and Saltaire. Many consider these to be exemplars in their field.
Culture is gaining increasing importance in the modern tourism industry, and represents a significant force of attraction for tourists (both domestic and international). Cultural tourism allows destinations and regions to expand their customer base, diversify their offer, extend the stay of the tourist, and reduce seasonality. Great efforts are made, by national governments and regions, in order to obtain official designation regarding the relevance of their historical/cultural attractions, for example through UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites (WHS) list. Such an aspect seems particularly relevant for a country like Italy, which has a high number of entries in the WHS list, and where regions take an active role in promoting tourism. Using a 12-year panel of domestic tourism flows, we investigate the importance of the regional endowment in terms of WHS from two perspectives: (a) by separately estimating the effects, on tourism flows, of WHS located in the residence region of tourists and in the destination region; and (b) by taking into account potential spatial substitution/complementarity effects between regions due to their WHS endowment. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is offered to evaluate the spatial extent of the latter.
The travel cost method is used to analyze the recreation demand for North Carolina trails. Incorporated in the demand model are users' perceptions of trail quality and their stated number of annual trips. Trail demand is specified with panel data that consists of two separate observations per respondent. Users' behaviors are analyzed by combining both data on the observed trip counts and stated trips. Stated trips are the number of trips a user would have taken to the last trail used had the site quality been ideal. Since both users and non users of trails during the past 12 months were asked their stated trips if quality improved, the non-participation effect was incorporated into the estimates of trail demand. Study findings showed users' ratings of trail quality can be successfully incorporated into a demand model to evaluate a hypothetical improvement in trail conditions. The estimated $15 increase in consumer surplus per trip is of practical importance to policy analyses aimed at improving social and environmental conditions averse to trail users.
Despite the significance of perceived travel risk and destination image, relatively few studies address the effect of perceived travel risks on the formation of destination image, and the mediating role of destination image. This study draws new insights by examining (1) the effects of perceived risks on destination image, and (2) the mediating role of destination image between perceived risks and revisit intention of repeat tourists to a risky destination. With perceived risk and destination image being empirically distinctive constructs, findings revealed that perceived socio-psychological and financial risks influenced both cognitive and affective destination images. Perceived physical risk did not have a significant influence on destination image, although it directly affected revisit intention. Additionally, destination image significantly mediated the relationships between two risks, namely, perceived socio-psychological and financial risks, and revisit intention. Several managerial implications concerning the management of risk perceptions and the promotion of risky destinations are discussed in this study.
This article comments on a recent initiative by international agencies, which focuses on heritage tourism in developing countries and draws on a comparative study of world heritage sites (WHS) undertaken by the author and colleagues (Evans 1999). The attention now awarded to heritage sites can be gauged by a recent initiative by the World Bank, in collaboration with UNESCO and the World Tourism Organization (WTO), titled Culture and Sustainable Development. This programme seeks to develop a cultural agenda as part of the Bank's financing of projects in developing countries and post-conflict regions, particularly where heritage and “at risk” monuments are located. Currently, 36 separate “projects in partnership” in 30 countries are being supported under this initiative, reflecting the acceptance that heritage conservation, tourism and economic regeneration are mutually supportive and viable strategies for development.