Estimating consumer surplus and elasticity of demand of tourist visitation to a region in North Queensland using contingent valuation

The Daintree Rainforest is a prime attraction for Tropical North Queensland as a touristdestination. Visitation of the rainforest, specifically the Cape Tribulation section, hasincreased rapidly as impediments to self-drive access have been removed. This paperexamines the potential for the local council to manage the volume of self-drive access to theCape Tribulation region by price mechanisms. The assessment is based on estimates ofwillingness to pay from a contingent valuation survey of self-drive tourists to the region,from which estimates of consumer surplus and demand elasticity are derived. Acomprehensive discussion of the social and economic implications and transaction costs ofprice-based mechanisms is offered.