Correcting for On-Site Visitor Sampling Bias When Estimating the Regional Economic Effects of Tourism

Abstract

This paper demonstrates the importance of correcting for trip frequency bias in on-site samples of visitors when estimating regional economic effects associated with outdoor recreation. Because visitors taking more trips are more likely to be intercepted during on-site exit interviews than those taking fewer trips, it is important to correct for this bias when estimating total trips, calculating average expenditures and when calculating total local income and employment using input–output models. The paper presents methods for correcting for trip frequency bias in estimates of the number of trips, length of stay bias in visitor day estimates, as well as the resulting bias in visitor expenditures. In the empirical example of rafting trips on the Snake River in Wyoming, correcting for trip frequency and length of stay reduced by half total jobs and total income associated with recreation. Correcting average expenditures for trip frequency bias further reduced jobs and income by an additional 14%.

Keywords

regional economics sampling biases rafting

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