Valuing the attributes of Malaysian recreational parks :a choice experiment approach

Abstract

The objective of this study is to investigate public preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for the attributes provided at the Malaysian Agricultural Park (MAP) in Shah Alam (SA), Selangor. The study also estimates individuals’ WTP for the attributes of a generic recreational park and investigates the transferability of these estimates to MAP. This exercise is undertaken by asking a sample of residents in Kuala Lumpur (KL) to value a hypothetical park in KL. Qualitative and quantitative methods are applied to undertake this study. The former include focus group meetings and stakeholder interviews which are used to determine appropriate park attributes and their levels. The latter use Choice Experiments (CEs) to investigate respondents’ preferences for these attributes. A face-to-face questionnaire survey is employed to collect information from respondents. The usable sample sizes achieved in KL and SA are 188 and 169, respectively. Data analysis methods employed include multinomial, random parameter logit, and latent class modelling. The qualitative approaches suggest that visitor amenities, recreational facilities, information, and natural attractions are the most relevant park attributes for visitors. Analysis of CE data indicates that respondents in KL had the highest preference for recreational facilities, followed by visitor amenities, natural attractions and information. In SA, the order of preference is recreational facilities, visitor amenities and information. The CE results also show that the samples in KL and SA are willing to pay for improvement in the attributes. The benefit transfer study yielded mixed results with evidence to support the transferability of some estimates but not others. Finally, the study yields several recommendations on the provision and pricing of facilities and amenities to those involved in the management and development of MAP and other recreational parks in Malaysia.