The Economic Value of Mountain Biking in the Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve, Eastern Cape, South Africa: A Travel Cost Analysis Using Count Data Models

This paper reports the first formal non-market valuation of mountain biking in South Africa by applying the individual travel cost method (TCM). Due to the non-negative, integer nature of the trip data, several count data models were estimated. Mountain biking is fast becoming one of South Africa’s most popular recreational sports and these estimates of economic value may assist policy-makers in managing mountain biking venues in general, and congestion conflicts, specifically. The locus of this study is the Baviaanskloof Mega-Reserve situated in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, part of which was declared a World Heritage Site in 2004. The reserve is a popular site for mountain biking. The economic value estimated, by employing a generalised negative binomial model, for trips taken during 2014 amounted to ZAR1 915 (US$167) per trip.