Willingness to pay for the authenticity of the curonian spit

The Curonian Spit is a protected territory in Lithuania and is a part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage registry. Any alterations of the current situation might affect the social, economic and ecological aspects of the territory. One of the possible alterations in the Curonian Spit is the construction of a bridge to the authentic protected area. This option was rather widely discussed; therefore, the aim of the research was to evaluate the willingness to pay for the conservation of the authenticity of the Curonian Spit. Expressed willingness to pay and travellers’ volumes are used for the assessment of the authenticity value of this protected area. Research has revealed that Curonian Spit popularity is steadily increasing. Fifty percent of respondents approve the construction of the bridge over the Curonian Lagoon and 39% disapprove, the rest remain undecided. The main argument for the construction of the bridge is easier accessibility, while the main argument against is the loss of authenticity/attractiveness. On average respondents are willing to pay €12.92 for the preservation of the authenticity. Visitors, who visit Curonian Spit more frequently are against the bridge construction and are willing to pay for the preservation of the authenticity more often than others. Estimated Curonian Spit value during 2012–2014 has averaged €4.6 million annually. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017.