Impact of Impaired Visibility on Visitor Enjoyment of the Grand Canyon

Abstract

An ordered logit probability model of the impact of visibility impairment on visitor enjoyment of the Grand Canyon was examined. Ninety male and female undergraduates rank ordered the six alternatives of a stimulus set. Each alternative consisted of one of three levels of visibility at each of three vistas, a driving time to the vistas, and a waiting time to get into an archaeological site. Results indicated that a wide range of driving times (0-2.5 hours) and waiting times (0-1 hour) yielded a significant coefficient for each of the five attributes in the alternatives. Examination of trade-off ratios indicated that subjects were willing to spend about an hour more in driving time or half an hour more in waiting time for a one-unit increase in visibility of the San Francisco Peaks. Differential vista sensitivities to changes in visibility were also demonstrated. Additional questions to be explored with the model are discussed.