Authors :
Ophelia Amo; Wisdom Akpalu
Volume/Issue :
Volume 6 - 2021, Issue 11 - November
Google Scholar :
http://bitly.ws/gu88
Scribd :
https://bit.ly/30x2KhN
Abstract :
This paper assesses hikers’ preferences for
improved health walk on the Accra-Aburi Mountains
walkway in Ghana adopting the Contingent Valuation
Method (CVM). We used questionnaires to collate data
from hikers on the Accra-Aburi Mountains walkway.
We employed a random sampling technique to select400
hikers that visited the site. We admit that a larger
sample size would have been better but the sample size
of 400 used was enough to find the results of WTP for
improved health walk of hikers in 2020. The
questionnaire was distributed to the hikers through faceto-face interviews elicitation method. The Conventional
Payment Card (CPC) method is employed to elicit
preferences from hikers in order to determine the mean
and the median willingness to pay (WTP) for an
improved health walk. The values from the interval
regression analyses reveal that hikers on the average are
prepared to pay GH0.90 ($0.2) per trip and a median
value of GH0.70 ($0.16) per trip for improved health
walk. Demographic features such as age, education,
household size, distance to site and mode of
transportation determine WTP for improved health
walk. Out of these variables, only distance to site declines
with their WTP for improved health walk.We
recommend to the government to revise their budgets
and policies for the demographic features of the hikers
since they arethe key determinants of the hikers’ WTP
for improved health walk. Finally, we suggest to the
government to use the valuation values to determine the
economic viability of health walk improvement
programmes in Ghana since hikers’ preferences are now
obvious.
Keywords :
Contingent valuation, willingness to pay, conventional payment card, health walk, Accra-Aburi Mountains.
This paper assesses hikers’ preferences for
improved health walk on the Accra-Aburi Mountains
walkway in Ghana adopting the Contingent Valuation
Method (CVM). We used questionnaires to collate data
from hikers on the Accra-Aburi Mountains walkway.
We employed a random sampling technique to select400
hikers that visited the site. We admit that a larger
sample size would have been better but the sample size
of 400 used was enough to find the results of WTP for
improved health walk of hikers in 2020. The
questionnaire was distributed to the hikers through faceto-face interviews elicitation method. The Conventional
Payment Card (CPC) method is employed to elicit
preferences from hikers in order to determine the mean
and the median willingness to pay (WTP) for an
improved health walk. The values from the interval
regression analyses reveal that hikers on the average are
prepared to pay GH0.90 ($0.2) per trip and a median
value of GH0.70 ($0.16) per trip for improved health
walk. Demographic features such as age, education,
household size, distance to site and mode of
transportation determine WTP for improved health
walk. Out of these variables, only distance to site declines
with their WTP for improved health walk.We
recommend to the government to revise their budgets
and policies for the demographic features of the hikers
since they arethe key determinants of the hikers’ WTP
for improved health walk. Finally, we suggest to the
government to use the valuation values to determine the
economic viability of health walk improvement
programmes in Ghana since hikers’ preferences are now
obvious.
Keywords :
Contingent valuation, willingness to pay, conventional payment card, health walk, Accra-Aburi Mountains.
