Willingness to Pay for Lusi Island Ecotourism Development and Mangrove Conservation

Abstract Lusi Island is a small island formed from sedimentation at the estuary of the Porong River and has an area of 94 hectares on the border between Sidoarjo Regency and Pasuruan Regency. The mudflow dumped into the Porong River due to a mud volcano 15 years ago became the cause of the formation of the new island. The mangrove forest is one of the attractions of ecotourism on the island that could attract tourists. However, the determination of Lusi Island as a conservation area, and the increasing number of tourists do not damage the environmental sustainability of the island. Economic valuation could identify the interest and willingness of tourists to participate in preserving the mangrove forest on Lusi Island. The Contingent valuation approach is used to measure people’s preferences through direct interviews about how much respondents are willing to pay (WTP) to get an amenity and comfortable environment. The economic valuation method uses WTP (willingness to pay) as a technique for assessing the ability of tourists to contribute to the development of ecotourism. The results of this study become input in the development of ecotourism and mangrove conservation by considering the involvement of tourists in preserving Lusi Island.