Recreational value of beach width: an application of travel cost and contingent behaviour models

Narrowing beach width along the Atlantic coastline of the United States is an environmental challenge policymakers and town officials has addressed by implementing various coastal management strategies. Beach nourishment, filling the narrowing segments of the beaches with sand, has been a popular practice in the United States. One of the benefits of wider beaches is the provision of recreational value to the visitors. This study estimates the recreation demand for Hilton Head Island beaches and potential changes in that demand if beaches are wider with beach nourishment. We used a negative binomial model for revealed preference data and a random effects model for our combined approach. The estimated welfare effect of a beach is $152.18 per trip. Increasing beach width improves the consumer surplus by $5.56. These estimates are in line with other conjoint studies that explored the impact of increased beach width. Cost–benefit analyses of future beach nourishment projects in the study area should consider the welfare impacts estimated in this study.