Perception of congestion and social dimension of the carrying capacity in Yucatan cenotes

Abstract

The massive visit of tourists to the cenotes of Yucatán has negative impacts on two elements: the natural resource and the visitor’s own experience. This study measures and compares, through the congestion perception indicator, the impacts of massification on the visitor’s experience in two cenotes of Yucatán and among three types of visitors: local, national and foreign. The results show that the acceptability of visitors to congestion decreases as the number of people in both cenotes increases. Foreign visitors in the two cenotes tolerate less congestion while locals are the group with the highest tolerance levels.