R--R--Conduct surveys of tourists to determine impact of Brown Tree Snake on economy of Hawaii and other Pacific Islands

The principal goal of this project is to provide accurate tourist survey data to support an on-going effort to revise and produce a more accurate assessment of the economic impact of the introduced brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis, BTS) on Guam. Specific survey data is needed for a revised input-output model (IO model) that will be used to predict potential impacts of brown treesnake establishment, if it ever occurs, on the economy of the State of Hawaii. The model currently has a revised estimate of the economic impact of brown treesnakes on Guam's electrical distribution system and human health costs. More accurate data is needed to: 1) assess the economic impact that the brown treesnake currently has on the tourist industry on Guam and 2) evaluate the potential impact that the establishment of brown treesnakes (or snakes in general) might have on Hawaii's tourist industry. There are two secondary goals of this project: 1) providing the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands with an assessment of the potential impact that the establishment of the brown treesnake would have on their tourist industry and 2) providing an accurate assessment of the current of the impact of brown treesnake presence to interested parties within the Government of Guam. Project goals are to: 1) determine weights for the major market areas impacted, 2) identify the major visitor activities impacted, and 3) assess the impact of snake presence on visitor choice of tourist destination. Tourist surveys should be conducted with the appropriate sample size to determine tourist opinion within a 10% margin of error for countries or areas of tourist origin that compose greater than 10% of the tourist market arriving in Hawaii, Guam, and the CNMI, respectively - individually. Examples of countries or areas of tourist origin would be: 1) America / U.S. Mainland; 2) Japan; 3) Korea; and 4) Chinese arrivals combined (mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan). V. Deliverable Products 1) Standardized survey questions that will be reviewed by FWS staff and specific cooperators. 2) A finalized report summarizing survey results