Measuring Willingness to Pay for Coastal Tourism and its Determinants by Contingent Valuation Method: A Case Study of Caspian Sea Beaches

The purpose of this study is to estimate willingness to pay for coastal tourism and examine the effective factors involved. The research questions of this study include: a) Are the coastal tourists willing to pay? b) What are the effective factors for their willingness to pay? To answer these questions, 1100 questionnaires were distributed among coastal tourists across the beach lines of Mazandaran Province, Iran, in 2010. Willingness to pay was estimated by Contingent Valuation Method, and the factors influencing willingness were examined by Logit Model. The results showed that the average amount each tourist willing to pay was 3188 rials, and the yearly recreational value of the beaches was about 32 billion rials. The results also showed that income, previous experience of payment, and education level had a significant effect on coastal tourist's willingness to pay.