The economic importance of beach recreation services in Uganda :

Abstract

The study aimed at identifying the economic importance of beach recreation services in Uganda. The case study of the study was the Lake Victoria shores around Kampala city. The overall objective was to contribute to the knowledge of the economic importance of' beach recreation activities Lake Victoria shore activities in Central Uganda. The study was cross sectional and used both qualitative and quantitative approaches to collect data, analyze and present it. The methods of data collection used were interviews, questionnaires and field observation's. The data was collected from a Sample of 131 (one hundred thirty-one) respondents. These were from Anderita beach, KK beach and Lido beach. Data was by means of a questionnaire and by field observations. The study used a combination of the Travel Cost Method and the Contingent Valuation Method of valuation to estimate the total economic value of beach recreation in Uganda and from the findings, it was established that beach recreation activities are of a significant economic importance. The consumer surplus was estimated at USD 0.63 and the total economic cost was estimated at USD 4788 per year for a visitor at Lido beach, USD 4572 per annum for a visitor to KK beach and USD 3816 per annum for a visitor to Anderita beach. Basing on the findings, it is recommended that more resources should be invested in, beaches so as to comb the lucrative economic venture given its inelastic demand. More so, further research should be done to enhance the findings of this study. Key words: Lake Victoria, Kampala, travel cost method, Contingent evaluation method, Beach Recreation, Total Economic value