Recreational demand for fishing in the Yellowstone National Park Area : a travel cost model

Graduation date: 1998Potential policy decisions regarding fly fishing in the Yellowstone National Park Area\ud could severely impact the enjoyment possibilities of many of its users. In order to\ud determine the magnitude of the impact, this paper applies a form of the basic travel cost\ud model developed by Bell and Leeworthy [JEEM. 18,189-205 (1990)] to fishing sites in\ud the Yellowstone National Park Area. Bell and Leeworthy have argued that consumer\ud demand for the time spent at a recreation site is inversely related to on-site cost per day,\ud and may be positively related to travel cost per trip. The paper discusses relevant\ud literature on the method, presents background information on the site, and generates a\ud demand curve for users of the resource. A consumer surplus measurement is then derived\ud from the resulting demand data, which gives an estimate for the value of the resource; the\ud consumer surplus is determined to be roughly $751.88 per day spent at the site. The\ud assumptions of the model are then discussed, and an assessment is made of the potential\ud policy implications