Figure 15: Value of polar bear viewing in Churchill, Manitoba (Canadian visitors)

This graph provides the estimated net consumer surplus for Canadian visitors to Churchill. The y axis is the dollar value per person – $800. The x axis is the number of visitors to Churchill - 3455.

The area below the demand curve represents the net consumer surplus. To calculate this figure, we estimated the area based on the area of a triangle. The line that best approximates this area intersects the Y-axis at $800 for Canadian visitors.
 
The following formula was used:

• Net surplus for Canadian visitors = (800 * 3455)/2

The number 3455 represents the number of Canadian visitors to Churchill, respectively, from October to December (average from 2006 to 2008).