Sandra Notaro

Estimating the economic benefits from outdoor recreation on a scenic route: the Ponale Road.

The Ponale Road features a spectacular panorama, consisting of one of the most beautiful mountain-top views of Lake Garda (northern Italy). In the past, it attracted large numbers of tourists from all over Europe, especially mountain bikers, due to its unique characteristics. However, it was closed at the end of the 1990s due to geological instability. In this study, we estimated the social benefit of the reopening of this scenic route using the contingent valuation method, focusing exclusively on its recreational use value. During 2002, we conducted face-to-face interviews with 675 randomly drawn potential users of the road and got a response rate of 96%. Our target population was all potential road users, both tourists and residents, because at the time the research was carried out the road was closed to any type of use. A hypothetical scenario proposed the reopening of the road conditional on users paying an access fee. We elicited willingness to pay (WTP) using a payment-card format. The Cameron and Huppert parametric interval regression method was used to analyze data. Benefits compared with annual cost of maintenance show the attractiveness of the project. The feasibility of a pricing policy was also evaluated.

Subjective Risks, Scientific Information, and Food Choices: A Test of Scenario Adjustment in Hypothetical Choice Experiments

Food safety policy programs often involve communication campaigns that inform the general public about reductions in the risk of experiencing negative outcomes in the future. Using a stated-choice survey, we find that people do not fully accept scientific risk estimates, but they adjust these to conform with their own subjective estimates. Interestingly, this adjusting phenomenon is more pronounced when scientific risks are smaller than subjective estimates, rather than when they are greater. This asymmetric “adjustment” is shown to affect support and willingness to pay for food safety polices.

The role of emotions on tourists’ willingness to pay for the Alpine landscape: a latent class approach

ABSTRACT Previous research suggests that landscape preferences vary systematically amongst people. While various sources of heterogeneity have been considered in landscape preference literature, the role of emotions on willingness to pay for landscape features has never been examined. This article presents results of a choice experiment carried out for eliciting tourists’ for Alpine landscapes. The emotional state of respondents was used to model heterogeneity in a latent class approach. The study area is a valley in the Italian Alps, characterised by a strong importance of the primary sector and a low number of tourists. Landscape management could attract new visitors, providing additional income for the local inhabitants. Results indicate that respondents prefer a variegated and multi-faceted landscape, with a mix of tree species, several agricultural crops and open areas with grazing animals and that incidental emotions play a role in the construction of landscape preferences and influence willingness to pay.