What is the role of tourism carrying capacity assessment in tourism development?

The analysis of the carrying capacity is used in environmental planning to guide decisions about land use allocation. It is a basic technique, widely used to define the capability of an area to endure the maximum level of development from tourism, agriculture, industry and infrastructure.

What is tourism carrying capacity assessment?

“Tourism Carrying Capacity” is defined by the World Tourism Organization as “The maximum number of people that may visit a tourist destination at the same time, without causing destruction of the physical, economic, socio-cultural environment and an unacceptable decrease in the quality of visitors’ satisfaction”.

How is tourism carrying capacity measured?

Physical carrying capacity includes the maximum number of visitors who can be physically present at a certain time and place [6]. This number can be calculated by Equation (1) for suitable tourism area. 1) Pcc = A * V/a * RF Where: A (Area) is the suitable tourism area.

What is the importance of carrying capacity in tourism?

The carrying capacity application has the greatest potential in protected areas, in frequently visited cultural and natural attractions, and in relation to sustaining of the lifestyle of the local community and tourism destination potential in general.

Why carrying capacity is an important concept?

The concept of carrying capacity has important ramifications for human ecology and population growth . The concept of carrying capacity is the foundation for recent interest in sustainable development , an environmental approach which identifies thresholds for economic growth and increases in human population.

What are the major factors that determine an area’s carrying capacity in tourism?

Carrying capacity, or the maximum number of individuals that an environment can sustain over time without destroying or degrading the environment, is determined by a few key factors: food availability, water, and space.

What is an example of a carrying capacity?

Carrying Capacity Examples Another example is the tree population in a forest. Let’s say a forest can have a carrying capacity of about a hundred trees. This means that the trees can grow without fiercely competing for sunlight, nutrients, and space.

How is carrying capacity calculated?

Carrying capacity is most often presented in ecology textbooks as the constant K in the logistic population growth equation, derived and named by Pierre Verhulst in 1838, and rediscovered and published independently by Raymond Pearl and Lowell Reed in 1920:Nt=K1+ea−rtintegral formdNdt=rNK−NKdifferential formwhere N is …

How is carrying capacity measured?

In ecology, carrying capacity is measured as the maximum load of an environment. (Ref. 1) The physical features present in the environment act as limiting factors (e.g. food, water, competition, etc.). In essence, food availability is an important variable as it affects the population size of the species.

What are the different types of tourism carrying capacity?

the tourism industry. development and use within a specified region.” carrying capacity into six categories: physical, economic, perceptual, social, ecological and political.

What is the concept of carrying capacity?

Carrying capacity can be defined as a species’ average population size in a particular habitat. The species population size is limited by environmental factors like adequate food, shelter, water, and mates. If these needs are not met, the population will decrease until the resource rebounds.

What happens when carrying capacity is reached?

If a population exceeds carrying capacity, the ecosystem may become unsuitable for the species to survive. If the population exceeds the carrying capacity for a long period of time, resources may be completely depleted. Populations may die off if all of the resources are exhausted.

Why do we need a carrying capacity assessment?

Assessing carrying capacity in this area is thence an effort to provide a useful tool to decision makers (i.e. local administrators and park managers) that are now planning tourism development policy for future years, trying to promote sustainable development and prevent adverse effect on the environment. 2 Methodology

How is carrying capacity used in tourism planning?

The evaluation of carrying capacity is applied to demonstrate the impact of tourism on space and the envi­ronment. It shows a significant element of planning spatial growth in tourism. It is also one of the techniques used to establish standards for sustainable tourism.

How is the carrying capacity of a destination determined?

Evaluation of carrying capacity of a destination has as a purpose the measurement of the threshold over which alteration due to human activities becomes unacceptable.

How is carrying capacity related to the environment?

Carrying capacity ought to include natural environment and changed human factors in addition to its practical application. A dominant relationship has been found to exist between the natural environments and the carrying capacity. The concept is characteristically an elusive subject that is still to be studied.