Sustainable tourism and forest conservation: The case of the Belum-Temengor Rainforest Complex in Perak,Malaysia

Ecotourism is a sustainable use of forest resources, as compared to traditional uses such as logging or mining. However, whether turning forests into tourist sites can generate incomes comparable to the lucrative traditional activities is less clear. We estimated the recreational values of the Belum-Temengor Rainforest Complex (BTRC) in Perak, Malaysia, and compared it with the alternative of one-time consumptive revenues from logging. Based on data from an on-site survey of 367 visitors to BTRC, direct non-consumptive use values were computed using the individual travel cost approach and the truncated Poisson count data model. The annual direct non-consumptive use value was RM14.66 million based on the estimated number of nights spent and willingness-to-pay per trip. The future cash flows of recreation demand were RM614 million, RM970 million, and RM1.86 billion for the next 30, 50, and 100 years, respectively. Own-price, cross-price, and income elasticities of recreation demand were also computed. Visitors’ on-site travel cost, alternative-site travel cost, income, ethnicity (Malay), and marital status (Single) were associated with recreation demand. Our main conclusion is that the direct non-consumptive use values from recreation demand and other indirect use and non-use values from forest conservation exceed the one-time consumptive revenues from logging.