Tourism Carrying Capacity

Tourism carrying capacity is the maximum number of visitors a coastal or marine destination can sustain before unacceptable damage to the environment or decline in visitor experience. It separates physical capacity (space and infrastructure), ecological capacity (the disturbance a reef, beach, or dune system tolerates before degradation), and social capacity (crowding tolerance). On coral reefs, dive and snorkel intensity above roughly 5,000 to 6,000 dives per site per year is linked to measurable coral damage, a common management trigger. Managers cap diver numbers, mooring buoys, and vessel landings, often within marine protected areas, to hold use below the threshold. The UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan applied the concept to coastal tourism planning.