The assessment of carrying capacity: A crucial tool for managing tourism effects in tourist destinations

Abstract

It is beyond doubt that the theory of tourism lags behind tourism practice. In order to decrease such a gap, theoretical work in tourism has been intensified over the last two decades. The key problems of research include: analysis, interpretation, and management of heterogeneous effects of tourism develop- ment, permeating different aspects of human life and work – from the global to the local level. This paper discusses the role, significance, and the ways of estimation and interpretation of the concept of carry- ing capacity within the conceptual framework of contemporary tourism. The paper also analyses various attitudes and conflicting opinions as to this, still much debated, concept. In the end, some crucial con- cluding remarks are presented that could alleviate the application of the concept of carrying capacity in practice, assuming its important role in planning tourist destination development and management of various tourism impacts.