This term refers to the maximum number of visitors a location can handle in three main aspects: physical, ecological, and perceptual.

• Physical Carrying Capacity: Measures physical space, like car parking spots.
• Ecological Capacity: The level of use an environment can handle before environmental damage occurs.
• Perceptual Capacity: The level of crowding a tourist will tolerate before considering the place too crowded.

Real-world example: Think of a local park. It can only hold so many picnic-goers (physical), keep its grass green with so much foot traffic (ecological), and remain enjoyable before it feels too crowded (perceptual).

Venice is a beautiful historic city dealing with conflicts between the tourist industry, which wants more visitors, and locals who prefer fewer tourists.

Optimum carrying capacity for Venice is over 8 million people annually, but visitor numbers are unevenly distributed - they surge in summer and on weekends.

Since 2000, an increasing number of cruise liners have docked at Venice, leading to a spike in visitor numbers but also a decline in the value of tourism - cruise passengers spend less in the city than other types of tourists.

Excessive day tripping leads to a decline in the quality of the tourist experience, which is a problem affecting many historic cities globally.