Tourists’ willingness to pay to view otters along the Wild Coast, South Africa: a potential for in creased ecotourism

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Date
2005Author
Dumalisile, Lihle
Somers, Michael
Walters, Michele
Nel, J A H
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This article reports on tourists’ willingness to pay to view Cape
clawless otters Aonyx capensis along the Eastern Cape Wild Coast, South
Africa. We collected data from a survey carried out using a structured, selfadministered
questionnaire. We analyzed 67 completed questionnaires, of
which 60 respondents (89.5%) indicated that they would be interested in
viewing otters and would be prepared to pay an extra fee, over and above the
normal entrance fees, for a trained guide to show them otters. The remaining
7 (10.4%) respondents indicated that they would reconsider and pay if
this would create jobs for members of the local community. Most (98.4% and
91.8%) of the respondents also indicated that they would still pay even if
there was only a 50% or 25% chance of seeing otters. Most of the respondents
were willing to pay either less than R50.00 (ca US$8.00) or R50.00-
R100.00 to view otters regardless of the chances of seeing them. We conclude
from our results that otters do have the potential to increase ecotourism
in the area, and also to contribute financially to the poverty stricken local
Dwesa community.