THE VALUE OF THE VIEW: VALUING SCENIC QUALITY USING CHOICE AND CONTINGENT VALUATION MODELS

Scenic beauty contributes to residents' quality of life and also serves to attract visitors to recreational areas. Because of the dynamic relationship between people, land, and rural development, there is an increasing interest in estimating the value of scenic quality using nonmarket valuation techniques. This study estimates the value of scenic quality to Blue Ridge Parkway visitors using choice and contingent valuation models. Results suggest that further research into respondent perceptions of CM and CVM models, and the conditions under which they yield comparable estimates, is warranted.