Investigating the factors affecting the willingness to pay ecotourism in the desert area rural of Qaleh-Bala Biarjomand - Semnan province.

Desert ecosystems have substantial economic potentials that paying attention to them to attain sustainable development and to get rid of the one-product economy is essential. According to the growing demand for ecotourism, calculating the recreational value of recreational areas seems to be necessary for efficient and effective management. The purpose of this study is to determine the factors affecting the willingness of tourists to pay in the Qaleh-Bala area of Biarjamand city in Semnan province. To examine the factors affecting the willingness to pay, the Logit model was estimated by the maximum likelihood method. To measure the willingness to pay off the Qaleh-Bala Double-bounded Dichotomous Choice, it was used. The required data were prepared and collected by completing a questionnaire and face-to-face interviews with visitors from the area. The tourist samples were selected by a simple random sampling method for 207 people, and then the questionnaires were completed by them. The results of the Logit model showed that the coefficients of the variables number of visits, final destination, and distance from residence, monthly household expenses, and offered price were significant at the level of 1% and 5%. Finally, the average willingness to pay for the use of the area by visitors was 48,220 Rials and the annual recreation value of Qaleh-Bala village was estimated at 434 million Rials