The Value of Ecotourism and Ecosystem Services in Espiritu Santo Island National Park, Mexico

The concern for the health of marine protected areas (MPAs) has become evident since they are complex and highly related structures where interactions take place to different scales of space and time. From an economic perspective, their functions are to provide goods and services that improve human well-being and the economic condition. Normally the goods and services in MPA are not traded in the market and are subjected to externalities that affect ecosystems. Espiritu Santo Island National Park is located in the Gulf of California and is important for being a refuge, zone core, and protection of several attractive marine species for tourist development. The aim of this paper was to characterize the uses and expenses of tourists in the MPA and recognize the preferences of individuals using the travel cost method (TCM). Results indicate that a correlation between income, ecosystem quality, and frequency of visits indicates that marginal effects are statistically significant in ESI and is possible to increase the access fee quota without affecting the demand for visiting the MPA, increasing the financial income to support greater conservation efforts.