Author : Sugeng Prayitno Harianto

Summary : The main objective was to estimate the overall value of ecotourism provided by Way Kambas National Park, Lampung Province, Indonesia. Specially, the study aimed to: (1) determine the economic factors that affect ecotourism demand; (2) characterize the park and its visitors; (3) compare the park's ecotourism value using the travel cost method (TCM) and the contingent valuation method (CVM); and (4) estimate the contribution of visitors' wildlife interest to the total value of consumers surplus of ecotourism. Primary data was collected through an interview schedule. A total of 494 were chosen from 14,671 park visitors as respondents based on age, health, status and ability to communicate. Secondary data were collected from the park's record, Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics, and Lampung Statistical Office. The main factors affecting ecotourism demand for the park were recreation plan, zone population, and travel cost. The ecotourism value per park visitor is estimated at Rp 4,540 to Rp 8,777 (US$2.14 - US$4.15) by TCM and Rp 9,080 to Rp 9,852 (US$ 4.30 - US$4.66) by CVM. The optimum admission fee under TCM is Rp 4,500 (US$2.13) per visitor; this would give the park a total income of Rp 602 million (US$0.3 million) per year. The maximum admission fee that cannot be afforded by the visitors is Rp 10,500 (US$4.97) per visitor. Most of those interviewed came from Central Lampung. Their main purpose was picnicking. To reach the park, most visitors used private transportation and were in family groups. Majority of the visitors were 30-39 years old. About 35.02 percent of the visitors were senior high school level and 28.14 percent university/college level. In terms of employment, 24.89 percent were government officers and 23.28 percent were private employees. As for income, 29.55 percent of the visitors had monthly income falling within Rp 201,000 - Rp 300,000 (US$95.13 - US$141.97) range, while 23.68 percent were in the Rp 101,000 - Rp 2000,000 (US$47.80 - US$94.65) range.