Economic Assessment on Recreational Demand for Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivali, Mumbai Using Travel Cost Approach

The recreational value of tourist sites and attractions is commonly measured using methods used for assessing non-market goods. One of these methods is the Travel Cost Method (TCM). This method is commonly used for assessing the demand for recreational sites. The conducted research studied the recreational value and the demand for recreation in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivali, Maharashtra State by applying the individual travel cost method. Data gathered in the respondent's survey served from 150 visitors during the month August 2014 to April 2015to determine the visitors demand as a measure of recreational value. The dependent variable in the conducted method is the number of visits in the area and among the independent variables, studied monthly income, age, gender, education level, employment status, travel cost and park value. Findings of the study showed that the number of visits of visitors decreases with increase in travel cost. The estimated coefficients of age and park value were found to be positive whereas the coefficients of education level, employment status, gender, and monthly income of visitors turned out to be negative.