abstract: Social Carrying Capacity (SCC) has been used commonly in the past to study the impact of increasing numbers of tourists on tourists’ satisfaction with a destination. However, it has been used less commonly to research the impact of increasing levels of tourism on residents of tourism destinations. As definitions of sustainable tourism shift to be more inclusive of residents, commonly used constructs should also be refined or modified to reflect this ontological shift. Current operational definitions of SCC tend to focus on crowding as the major indicator SCC has been reached. Even the theories commonly used to study SCC, stimulus-overload and expectancy theories, relate directly to crowding. This Master’s thesis aimed to expand the concept of SCC to be more representative of the manifold impacts experienced by residents of tourism destinations as tourism increases. This aim was accomplished through an exploratory mixed methods study ultimately resulting in the creation of a new SCC measurement tool. The qualitative phase of this research consisted of four focus groups in three sites with varying levels of tourism development. The data from the focus groups were used to inform item writing of a measurement tool that represented a greater number of SCC indicators than crowding to confirm the validity of the indicators in the quantitative phase of the research. After the instrument was distributed via a statewide poll, two structural equation models were fit to compare the operational definitions. A better understanding of the relationship between one of the supporting theories, stimulus-overload theory, and SCC was uncovered with evidence of an emergent connection between SCC and tourism-related stressors. The results of the research indicate that there are multiple indicators of SCC experienced by residents of tourism destinations which can change in degree and expression as tourism development in a community increases. The operational definition including these indicators explained more variance in support for tourism development than overcrowding alone. A greater awareness of these indicators and their evolution can strengthen the theoretical foundation of SCC and enable practitioners to make multi-faceted, proactive decisions when managing a destination. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Community Resources and Development 2020

Outdoor recreation participation has increased during the Covid-19 pandemic and the Jämtland mountains have felt the impacts like many other geographical areas. Increased pressure from outdoor recreation risks of decreasing visitor experience and the physical conditions of the recreational landscape. The focused area of this study (the mountain area of the Jämtland triangle) experienced problems already before the Covid-19 pandemic hit due to increasing pressure from visitors as well as from differing interests among stakeholders. The pandemic has especially increased the visitor numbers and pressure from them. This study focused on the viewpoints of the visitors in relation to outdoor recreation impacts and their landscape and land-use perspectives. Moreover, their views on the possible future planning and management of the area, with emphasis on the management practices. Methods used to achieve the objectives were of embedded mixed methods (concurrent nested design): observations, contact cards and semi-structured interviews with the emphasis on qualitative data. Visible impacts in the landscape (crowding, litter, tear, and wear as well as impacts on the fauna) were discovered and that they were also experienced by the visitors to different degrees. In general, their experiences from the contact cards identified higher experiences on tear and wear of the trails as well as crowdedness. This was supported by the interview participants experiences, where each participant experienced erosion (tear and wear) and crowdedness to some degree, and numerous also noticed littering. Noise in both quantitative and qualitative aspect was only experienced to minor degree. The experiences of the visitors differed based on how many times the visitor had been in the area (besides their personal perspectives and values). In general people saw less impacts in the social and physical aspects during their first visit.The eco-strategies framework assisted the analysis of different users and user groups perspectives on the landscape, the land-use of the landscape and conflicts between different types of users (passive use “admire and enjoy the landscape” to the other end of spectrum “factory” of activities). Moreover, carrying capacity was used as a support of the analysis in combining the visitor experience, physical landscape, and the social limits. Besides viewing the public right of access as necessity, stronger restrictions and management practices were viewed as beneficial if these would help the nature recover from the outdoor recreation impacts. Inclusion of visitors and as many stakeholders as possible in the planning process was seen as beneficial. At the end, the results are reflected on in regard to future necessities planned by Länsstyrelsen Jämtlands län (2018). / <p>2022-01-22</p>