Evaluation of the Visitation Rate in the Park by the Travel Cost Method in Parque Do Sabiá Complex, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Urban parks play a key role in improving the environmental quality standard of cities, whether for the ecological service provided or the promotion of people's health and well-being. The objective of this study was to estimate the variables that determine the frequency of visits to Parque do Sabiá complexin Uberlândia municipality, Minas Gerais state, Brazil, based on the Travel Cost Method. Were conducted 385 interviews, being 206 valid, and described a logit model, expressed by the variable response rate of visitation (rv) and the independent variables, which spanned the socioeconomic aspects, the costs of travel and visits to the site, and the individual perceptions. Among the statistically significant variables, the profile that declares the male sex, with a higher level of schooling, and that travels alone to the site is more predisposed to visit the park. The extent to which departs for residential areas more distant, is reduced by 3.3% the rate of visitation, and 11% if the option is per vehicle, propelled by influencing the cost of travel of users. The individual perceptions of users influenced the rate of visitation, due to their ecological role partner (9,3%), the benefits in improving the quality of life (6,8%) and the sports practice (20,7%). The demand for the park can be increased with improvements in access and reducing the cost of travel, making the option of visitation more attractive. However, the demand for the functions of the park competes with the perception of improvement of squares, gyms and outdoor walking tracks at other points of the city.