Mara Thiene

Destination Choice Models for Rock Climbing in the Northeastern Alps: A Latent-Class Approach Based on Intensity of Preferences

Rock climbers are likely to exhibit preference heterogeneity dictating the way with which such sport is practiced. This has a reflection on the population’s structure of recreational values of rock-climbing destinations, their attributes, and to land management policies. We test this hypothesis on a panel of destination choices by a sample of members of the Italian Alpine Club. Using a latent-class, random utility approach we find evidence in support of the hypothesis that there are at least four classes in the sample, thereby revealing a considerable richness in the structure of preference, which would otherwise be unobservable with more conventional approaches. (JEL Q26, C25)

Monitoring Choice Task Attribute Attendance in Nonmarket Valuation of Multiple Park Management Services: Does It Matter?

Land management in Alpine parks provides multifunctional services to separate groups of users. Choice experiments can be used to derive estimates of value for different management attributes. However, little research has been conducted on how frequently respondents ignore attributes used to describe policy management scenarios. We fill this gap using an approach that identifies and compares both serial and choice task attribute nonattendance addressing five different visitor types. Our results indicate that accounting for choice task nonattendance significantly improves model fit and yield estimates of marginal willingness to pay with a more plausible pattern of signs and greater efficiency. (JEL Q24, Q51)

Destination Choice Models for Rock Climbing in the Northeast Alps: A Latent-Class Approach Based on Intensity of Participation

Practitioners of outdoor sports, such as rock-climbers, are likely to exhibit preference heterogeneity that depends on the ‘keenness’ with which such sports are practiced. Such an intuition is born out in at least one study using latent class discrete choice modelling (Provencher et al. 2002). Preference heterogeneity has a reflection on the population’s structure of recreational values assigned to rock-climbing destinations, to their attributes and ultimately to land management policies addressing such attributes. In this study such hypothesis is tested on a panel of destination choices by a sample of rock-climbers members of the Veneto Chapter of the Italian Alpine Club. Preliminary estimates of latent-class (finite-mixing) specifications provided evidence that intensity of participation explained heterogeneity in taste. This motivated our splitting of the sample in a ‘high’ and a ‘low’ intensity of participation sub-samples, each of which is in turn analysed for the presence of endogenous preference classes using latent-class random utility based approaches. We find evidence in support of the hypothesis that there are at least four statistically well-defined classes in each sub-sample, thereby revealing a considerable richness in the structure of preference, which would otherwise be unobservable in more conventional approaches. From the model estimates, we first focus on the derivation of posterior individual specific welfare measures for some key destination attributes, and then for a welfare neutral land management policy. One emerging feature is the strong evidence of multi-modal distribution of values, a feature that is more difficult to capture when preference heterogeneity is modelled by other means. The results also show how the proposed policy is progressive in terms of benefit distribution in the sample, and that the distribution of individual welfare changes shows markedly different patterns between high and low demand sub-samples.

Hiking in the Alps: exploring substitution patterns of hiking destinations.

Tourism in the Alps used to rely on a network of facilities maintained in part by the military Alpine Corps. Hiking has been growing in popularity, while the national draft is no longer compulsory. This situation calls for a renewed approach to management of the maintenance of alpine facilities. The authors explore the use of destination choice models which allow for various substitution hypotheses and highlight how single mountain sites can be substitutes for others, although located in a different geographical area. The results supply helpful information for local policy decision makers as they provide insights about the redistribution of visits following the implementation of different policy scenarios. The authors investigate such redistributions following the variation of availability to hikers in terms of alpine shelters, length of trails, site access and the application of access fees. They also estimate changes in welfare for selected variations of alpine facilities and availability of destinations. The findings highlight the sensitivity of results to the use of different specifications of demand models to guide local policy strategies.

Cardiovascular risk during physical activity in the mountains.

Objective Several previous studies evaluated the cardiovascular risk associated with exercise, but only a few papers considered this risk during physical activity in the mountains. The aim of this study was to assess the cardiovascular risk in a population practising physical activity in the mountains. Methods We used an observational study design. We estimated the population by integrating the data of presences in the accommodation establishments with data from telephone and on-field interviews. As survey sources of cardiovascular events we used the reports of the Mountain Rescue teams and of the emergency physicians and pathologists operating in the hospitals of the considered mountain area. Results We estimated that the duration of exposure to risk for the study population was, averagely per year, 12 449 877 person-days. During the study period, we recorded 117 cardiovascular events, namely 38 sudden cardiac deaths, 13 acute coronary syndromes, and five strokes. The remaining 61 events were non-traumatic events with a probable cardiovascular origin. We calculated one cardiovascular event per 319 000 person-days of physical activity in the mountains, one sudden cardiac death per 980 000 and one acute coronary syndrome per 2 895 000 person-days. Conclusions The risk of cardiovascular events in the population practising physical activity in the mountains is very low and essentially limited to men over the age of 40, particularly if they do not practise regularly physical activity. For these subjects the risk seems to be associated with physical activity, but not with altitude and other typical aspects of mountains, such as low temperature and difficulties of terrain.

Determinants of WTP for Prosecco wine: A latent class regression with attitudinal responses

Purpose – Under investigation is Prosecco wine, a sparkling white wine from North‐East Italy. Information collection on consumer perceptions is particularly relevant when developing market strategies for wine, especially so when local production and certification of origin play an important role in the wine market of a given district, as in the case at hand. Investigating and characterizing the structure of preference heterogeneity become crucial steps in every successful marketing strategy. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the sources of systematic differences in consumer preferences.Design/methodology/approach – The paper explores the effect of inclusion of answers to attitudinal questions in a latent class regression model of stated willingness to pay (WTP) for this specialty wine. These additional variables were included in the membership equations to investigate whether they could be of help in the identification of latent classes. The individual specific WTPs from the sampled respondents ...

Consumers WTP for Wine with Certified Origin: Preliminary Results from Latent Classes Based on Attitudinal Responses

This article investigates preference heterogeneity of wine consumers by using latent class models based on attitudinal questions. Such responses turn out to be an important source of additional information when the goal is to identify different groups of people with a similar wine preference structure. We assume that preferences are latent and the responses to attitudinal questions are the visible effect of this latent heterogeneity. In this study evidence is found of four different classes of respondents with similar response patterns. We focus on preferences for a well-known wine, the Prosecco, and use a sample of the population in the area of production. For each preference-class we estimate a class-specific WTP (willingness to pay) equation for this wine, so as to estimate the class responsiveness of WTP to various determinants. Estimates for a four-class model are discussed in detail to illustrate the potential of this approach in characterizing the preferences of local consumers for the two most common certifications of origin.

Agricultural Landscape Value and Irrigation Water Policy

Water is a limiting factor of agricultural production in an increasing number of regions. There is also ample empirical evidence to suggest that the economic value of agricultural landscape is substantial, which has been used to justify agricultural support programs in developed economies. We investigate the link between the environmental amenity of agricultural landscape and the value of water in crop production. We find that the environmental externality gives rise to a social derived demand for water which differs from the market-based (private) derived demand for water. Policy implications regarding irrigation water allocation and pricing are drawn. An empirical example illustrates the methodology and main findings.

Perceived risks of mountain landslides in Italy: stated choices for subjective risk reductions

Mountain landslides have occurred in countries such as Italy regularly throughout recorded history, often resulting in fatalities. Because of this, policies that would reduce landslide fatality risk need to be carefully formulated. As a first step in the exploration of preferences for these risk-reducing policies, we examine public perceptions of risk for landslides and related events. Subjective probabilities for others who might die in a landslide, as well as one’s own subjective probability of death, are elicited for a sample of visitors and residents of a region in Italy prone to landslides. We present one portion of the sample with scientific information and allow them to update their risk estimate if they so choose, allowing the role of such information to be tested. The subjective probabilities are then used to construct risk-related attributes in a pivot-design version of a conventional stated choice model. Larger risk changes as departures from the baseline risk are found to be significant in explaining choices.

Factors Influencing Summer Farms Management in the Alps

We investigated the recent evolution and the present status of summer farms in the Veneto region, northeastern Italian Alps. This study area has experienced the abandonment and intensification in livestock farming that has been typical in the European mountains. An on-farm survey was conducted at 484 active units. Data were collected concerning farm structure and technology, herd composition and management, and the environmental and managerial practices. A clustering approach, based on structural and technical features, divided the summer farms into two clusters. One cluster included 189 units that were mostly owned by municipalities and other public institutions. These units contained renovated structures and modern equipment. The other cluster included 295 summer farms that were mostly privately owned and often contained obsolete structures and equipment. Herd composition and management practices were more intensive in the public cluster, while the environmental and management features of the pastures differed only marginally. Socio-economic viability, as estimated with a multicriteria approach, was higher for public summer farms. Our results indicate that the type of ownership is the main factor in the recent evolution and the present status of summer farm. The traditional, strict link between the management of summer farms and the optimal conservation of their pastures has been disrupted. These findings must be considered to devise effective agricultural and environmental policies in mountainous areas.