Evaluating Urban Tourism Carrying Capacity in Ningbo Using AHP

Abstract

Tourism has become a crucial form of relaxation and entertainment for modern people. This study applies the analytic hierarchy process to determine index weights and calculates the carrying capacity indices of the pressure, status, and response subsystems in Ningbo's ecotourism environment. The research aims to reveal the development trend of Ningbo's eco-environment, explore influencing factors, and provide theoretical support for enhancing tourism environment carrying capacity. Previous Chinese studies on carrying capacity focused mainly on individual natural resource and population capacity analysis, neglecting the comprehensive impact of natural, ecological, social, and economic systems, especially in sustainable development. This paper, based on the pressure–state–response model, integrates multiple factors into a unified framework, constructs an evaluation model, and conducts an empirical study on Ningbo. Evaluating Ningbo's environmental carrying capacity will contribute to the effort to meet the city's sustainable development needs and offers references for similar research.