Abstract
Green" tourism in Regional Natural Parks (RNPs) is an important element for local development and environmental conservation. As tourism production and consumption could harm the environment, therefore, it is necessary to improve the relationship between visitors and the environment. RNPs Authorities play a key role in establishing and managing environmental conservation policies that enable to keep under control the risk of harming environmental resources. A limitation to such activities is a lack of adequate financial resources. Introducing an entry fee to visit park areas could be a way to reach financial autonomy and enhance environmental policies. This paper analyses visitors' willingness to pay (WTP) within the main RNPs of Sicily throughout a contingent valuation (CV) method. The final outcome of this survey indicates that most visitors are willing to pay an entry fee in order to better protect the environment. Although there is no fee to visit RNPs at the moment, our results indicate that there is an opportunity to introduce an entry fee.