Does an Environmental Disaster Influence the Tourists’ Willingness to Pay for a Wetland? The case of the Cruces River Wetland in Southern Chile

This study examined tourists’ perceptions of the Río Cruces wetland in Chile, a Ramsar wetland that suffered severe environmental damage in 2004, and their willingness to pay (WTP) to visit it. It was hypothesized that knowledge that an environmental disaster has occurred in the wetland is a relevant factor in the economic valuation that tourists give to the wetland. A factor analysis was used to identify perception variables, based on an interpretation center as a proxy for the wetland, and logistic regression was used to analyze the decision to visit the wetland and contingent valuation to estimate WTP. Two perception factors were identified: ecological and recreational. The decision to attend the center was determined by age, latent perception variables and length of stay. The mean price of WTP was CL$4,342 (US$7.19) and was determined by educational level, age, income, length of stay, and perception variables. Contrary to expectations and the results of related studies, environmental damage was not significant in the decision to visit the center or in the willingness to pay. Although it is not possible to obtain an explanation for this situation from the data obtained in this study, it is possible that this is due to the time elapsed (more than 17 years) and the fact that the wetland is currently in a stable state of conservation. Given the importance of wetlands and their restoration from the point of view of local socio-economic development, further research is needed in this area.