The Travel Cost Method (TCM) is a widely used non-market valuation technique in ecological economics for estimating the economic value of environmental goods and services, particularly recreational sites such as national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, forests, rivers, and coastal areas. Since these goods do not have a market price, TCM serves as an indirect approach to assess their value by examining the costs incurred by individuals to access and use them. Rooted in the theory of consumer behavior and demand, the method operates under the assumption that the time and travel expenses people incur to visit a site represent the “price” of access, thereby enabling economists to derive a demand curve and estimate the value of the site. TCM draws from the principles of revealed preference, which is based on observed behaviors rather than stated preferences. The core idea is that the value of an environmental good can be inferred from the behavior of individuals in actual market situations. In the context of TCM, this behavior is revealed through the number of trips taken by individuals to a recreational site and the expenses associated with these visits. The travel cost includes various components such as fuel, vehicle maintenance, entry fees (if any), opportunity cost of time spent traveling and visiting the site, accommodation, and food. By collecting data on these costs and the frequency of visits from a sample of users, a demand curve for the site can be derived. This demand function can then be used to estimate the consumer surplus, which serves as a measure of the site's recreational value. There are several variants of the travel cost method: 1. Zonal Travel Cost Method (ZTCM): This approach divides the area around a recreational site into different zones based on distance and population. It then calculates visitation rates from each zone and relates them to travel costs. This method is useful for estimating the total value of a site from a broader perspective. 2. Individual Travel Cost Method (ITCM): This approach focuses on data collected from individual visitors, including their travel cost, number of visits, income, and socio-economic background. It is more detailed and allows for regression analysis to derive the demand curve. 3. Random Utility Models (RUMs): These are more complex models that incorporate multiple site choices and allow researchers to examine how individuals substitute between various sites based on attributes and costs. 4. Hedonic Travel Cost Method: This version separates the various components of travel costs to understand their individual influence on the decision to visit a site. The application of TCM has been significant in ecological economics because it provides a monetary measure of the use value of environmental resources, aiding in policy formulation, cost-benefit analyses, and resource management decisions. However, it is primarily limited to use values and does not capture non-use