Evaluating the Concept of Carrying Capacity in the Context of Tourism Policy and Planning

Abstract

It is necessary to have elements of the attractiveness for tourism activities to be carried out in a region. Natural and cultural resources are among the elements of charm providing desirability of a region, which can appeal to tourists. However, it is seen that as a result of excessive use of these resources are destroyed or ravaged. The results of intensive tourist traffic along with the damage caused to the resources include a decrease in the satisfaction of the tourists and negative change in indigenous people’s point of view of tourism. In order to prevent these situations, number of tourists or tourism activities in the region should be kept to a certain extent. In this respect, implementations carried out by the destinations to avoid overflow in capacity were evaluated. In
this context, it has been observed that there are measures taken against intense tourist traffic by Bhutan, Machu Picchu, Santorini, Cinque Terre and Iceland. Most common practices include limiting the number of tourists and charging a fee. Aim of these practices has been determined as protection of the owned resources, increasing living standards of the local people that were declining due to the busy tourist traffic, ensuring that tourists visiting the destination have better experiences.