Tourism carrying capacity management: China’s experience and recommendations for Vietnam

Abstract

Tourism carrying capacity management is a critical tool for ensuring sustainable tourism development amid increasing pressure from overtourism at many global destinations. Using document analysis and case study methods, this study examines China’s experience through two representative cases: the Mogao Caves and Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve. The findings show that integrating demand management with smart destination management helps reduce pressure on resources, enhance visitor experience, and ensure long-term conservation effectiveness. Based on these insights, the study proposes several lessons for Vietnam in managing carrying capacity at key tourist destinations.
Keywords
tourism carrying capacity carrying capacity management destination management smart tourism sustainable tourism development

References

1.
Bramwell, B. (1997). Managing urban tourist numbers. Annals of Tourism Research, 24, 248–249.
2.
Butler, R. W. (1999). Sustainable tourism: A state-of-the-art review. Tourism Geographies, 1(1), 7-25.
3.
Candela, G., & Cellini, R. (2006). Investment in tourism market: A dynamic model of differentiated oligopoly. Environmental and Resource Economics, 35, 41–58.
4.
Giannoni, S., & Maupertuis, M. A. (2007). Environmental quality and optimal investment in tourism infrastructures: A small island perspective. Tourism Economics, 13, 499–513.
5.
Jingjing Li, Lizhi Xu, Ling Tang, Shouyang Wang, Ling Li (2018), Big data in tourism research: A literature review, Tourism Management 68, 301-323
6.
Liu Shidong &Gao Jun. (2014). Study on Tourism Environmental Carrying Capacity of Island-based Tourism Destinations - Taking Chongming Island in Shanghai as an example. Journal of Shaanxi Normal University (3), 85-90.
7.
McKercher, B. (1993). Unrecognised threat to tourism: Can tourism survive sustainability? Tourism Management, 14(1), 131-136.
8.
Mohan, V., Nabin, M. H., & Sgro, P. M. (2007). Tourism, congestion, taxation, and strategic interaction. International Journal of Tourism Policy, 1, 134-152.
9.
PAC/RAC. (2003). Guide to good practice in tourism carrying capacity assessment. Split, Croatia: Priority Actions Programme Regional Activity Centre (PAC/RAC).
10.
Saarinen, J. (2006). Traditions of sustainability in tourism studies. Annals of Tourism Research, 33(4), 1121-1140.
11.
UNWTO. (2004). Tourism congestion management at natural and cultural sites. Madrid: World Tourism Organization.
12.
Wang Xudong (2014). Incorporating a Visitor Center into the Mogao Grottoes Visitation Model, Extended Abstracts of the International Colloquium: Neville Agnew and Martha Demas Visitor Management and Carrying Capacity at World Heritage Sites in China. The Getty Conservation Institute
13.
Yang Runtian&Ren Lei. (2021). Study on the social and psychological carrying capacity of residents in ski tourism destinations-measurement analysis based on fuzzy analytic hierarchy process. Snow and Ice Movement, 43(3), 6.