Analysis of the carrying capacity of tourist attractions in Central Amazonia, Brazil

Abstract

Assessing the carrying capacity in tourist attractions is essential for measuring and monitoring the impact of users visiting attractions, both private and public, especially those in protected areas. Conventional tourism, without proper planning, can promote environmental degradation along the trails of attractions in the Amazon region. The objective of this study was to determine the tourist carrying capacity (CCT) of the trails in the tourist attractions in the municipality (county) of Presidente Figueiredo in Brazil’s state of Amazonas, considering the state of forest degradation in these locations. To determine the CCT, the method of Cifuentes et al. (1999) was used, which divides carrying capacity into three levels: physical (CCF), real (CCR) and effective (CCE). According to the results obtained, we highlight those attractions that presented an excellent CCE as: “Neblina” (77 people day-1), “C. Iracema Falls” (90 people day-1) and “Cachoeira da Onça” (39 people day-1). In addition, there was moderate forest degradation along the trails of the “Perema” (40.3%), “Sanctuary” (26.9%), “Galo da Serra” (26.9%) and “Pedra Furada” (26.1%) attractions. These results can help in planning tourism in Presidente Figueiredo, guaranteeing the control and permanent monitoring of visitation in a sustainable way.