Valuing climate impacts on coastal tourism: evidence from Chile

This article examines how climate-induced environmental changes, including beach erosion and temporary closures, affect tourist welfare in Chile’s main sun-and-beach destinations. Using the Travel Cost Method, we estimate conservative lower bounds for tourists’ welfare measures to mitigate beach retreat, conserve nearby ecosystems, and maintain beach access. Results show a positive willingness to pay of CLP 868.17 per additional meter of beach width (USD 1.00) and significant welfare losses from potential one-day closures, ranging from CLP 374.39 million (USD 0.43 million) in Coquimbo to CLP 325.24 million (USD 0.37 million) in Valparaíso. Tourists value natural features but react negatively to visible infrastructure such as drainage systems. These findings offer practical insights for climate adaptation and sustainable coastal management in tourism-dependent regions.