CARRYING CAPACITY MODEL APPLIED IN COASTAL DESTINATIONS

•Thresholds for growth in mature coastal destinations are controversial.•Most studies of the social carrying capacity of tourists are conducted in Protected Natural Areas.•This study adapts the social carrying capacity model to coastal destinations.•The study provides a profile of tourists who most likely to be sensitive to overcrowding.

A large number of studies have been carried out on the social carrying capacity of tourists regions. Most of these studies have examined protected natural areas, the best known being Shelby and Heberlein’s study. The research aim of this paper is to adapt the social carrying capacity model to a mature coastal destination, Costa del Sol. The empirical findings provide an indicator that allows us to establish the proportion of tourists who perceive overcrowding and are predisposed to leave. A cluster analysis was performed to better understand how overcrowding is perceived by tourists, the socioeconomic characteristics of tourists and the factors that may influence the capacity thresholds. The generating data will allow a scientific debate on the overcrowding problems and the growth limits.