Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics

WAN NORHIDAYAH W. MOHAMAD · KEN WILLIS · NEIL POWE ·International Journal of Economics and Management ·2018 ·JEL: Q51; Q57

Accounting for ignored attributes, or attribute non-attendance (ANA), in discrete choice experiment (DCE) is believed to produce more reliable willingness to pay (WTP) estimates. However, there is evidence that respondents who claimed to have ignored some attributes may simply have assigned them lesser importance. To explore this issue in the context of tourism research, a new follow-up question is used to investigate whether the respondents have ignored certain attributes or just assigned the attribute as of lesser importance when responding. Three different mixed logit (MXL) models were estimated and compared. Results generally indicate that some respondents do indeed ignore certain attributes, and some of them put less emphasis on certain attributes when making decisions. Comparison of the different MXL models reveals different WTP estimates, suggesting the importance of considering an appropriate method to deal with ANA.

Gabriel M.S.Vianna · Mark G.Meekan · Abbie A.Rogers (The University of Western Australia · Marit E.Kragt · James M.Alin · Johanna S.Zimmerhackel ·Marine Policy ·2018

This study estimated the economic value of the shark-diving industry in Semporna, the most popular diving destination of Malaysia, by surveying the expenditures of diving tourists and dive operators through the region. A willingness-to-pay survey was also used to estimate the potential of the industry as a financing mechanism for enforcement and management of a hypothetical Marine Protected Area (MPA) to conserve shark populations. The study showed that in 2012, shark-diving tourism provided direct revenues in excess of USD 9.8 million to the Semporna region. These economic benefits had a flow-on effect, generating more than USD 2 million in direct taxes to the government and USD 1.4 million in salaries to the community. A contingent valuation analysis indicated that implementation of a fee paid by divers could generate over USD 2 million for management and enforcement of the MPA each year. These findings suggest that shark diving is an important contributor to the economy of the Semporna region that could be used as a mechanism to assist financial resourcing for management and conservation strategies.