Agriculture, environmental services and agro-tourism in the Dominican Republic

Abstract

This paper analyzes the links between agriculture and tourism. A contingent valuation study assesses tourist's willingness to pay (WTP) for agro-tourism and agriculture's positive environmental services and related positive externalities. The paper analyzes factors influencing tourist preferences in the Dominican Republic (DR) -- tourist income, the local tourist destination, sex, and nationality stand out among these factors. Estimates are given for different WTP scenarios according to farming systems. The study argues that a well developed agro-tourism industry would result in a market mechanism generating additional income of US $251 to US $364 million annually. Agro-tourist activities would have the added benefit of promoting sustainable agricultural practices.