Recreational use Value of a Firefly Watching Ecotourism and Wildlife Park in Palawan, Philippines using the Travel Cost Method

Abstract

Ecotourism has been known to be globally popular which promotes natural resources that will function for recreational activities but following the methods for sustainable use and implementation. For proper management plans, various ecotourism sites are evaluated for they recreation use values. In this study, the Travel Cost Method (TCM) was applied in order to calculate the economic value of Iwahig Firefly Watching Ecotourism and Wildlife Park in Palawan, Philippines. The individual travel cost method was utilized in this study which was found to be a cost-effective and convenient method. It was found out that age, income and travel costs are some of the factors that have a significant effect on the number of annual visits of individuals in the site. The travel costs and age both have indirect relationship with the number of visits to the site, while the annual income have a direct relationship on the number of visits. This may be useful in terms of management plan and conservation.