Objective:

To realize out the economic valuation of the recreational ecosystem service (SER) provided by the whale shark within La Paz Bay as well as to calculate the willingness to pay (DAP) of the SER users.

Methodology:

The Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) was applied through a Logit model.

Result:

The economic utility and WTP of the interviewees were calculated during the 2019-2020 observation season considering socioeconomic variables such as gender, age, education and country of origin of the respondents, among others.

Limitations:

The MVC asks the contingent valuation question directly, some difficulties may arise when the measurement is executed. This is because it is a technique, which can imply disadvantages in the veracity on the responses of the interviewees. The biases that can occur with the design and application of the survey were minimized. However, given the scope of the study, it was not possible to validate its results with other techniques of economic valuation of the environment.

Conclusions:

The total WTP was calculated, for national tourism and foreign tourism. No significant differences were found between them. The presence of the whale shark at La Paz Bay, among other natural attractions found in the area; annually attract foreign tourism from countries around the world, which are part of the local economy.

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