Modeling demand for Thai national park ecotourism : a GIS-linked spatial dependent model for Phu Jong Na Yoi National Park, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand

Abstract

The objectives of this research are 3 folds (i) it is to investigate the role of GIS linked spatial dependence and other factors that affect ecotourism demand in Phu Jong Na Yoi National Park, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand.(ii) it attempts to estimate a recreational demand model for the park by using GIS as a tool to support the hypothesis that spatial dependence the estimated conventional recreation demand for ecotourism in the park. (iii) the study measures the economic value of the use of national resources in the park to provide tourism benefits for visitors. Data were collected in 2005 and 2006 by using a designed questionnaire from a sample of 620 park visitors. Twenty five park officers were also interviewed. The results show that GIS can be used to create a distance weight to be used in estimating the Travel Cost Model. The estimate spatial autoregressive model shows validity and robustness with the significant R2 and F Values at 95% confidence interval. The estimated model is used to evaluate the economic value of the park tourism. The estimated park consumer surplus is around 56.29 baht per person or 1.89 million baht per year.