Résumé

There is a growing concern for developing tools that could facilitate policy makers in their efforts to control tourism development in coastal areas. Tourism carrying capacity is among these instruments that seek to assess the ability of tourist areas to cope with psychological, physical, and socio-economic pressures due to uncontrolled tourism development. This paper is an attempt to assess the psychographic carrying capacity in the context of Boracay Island, in the Philippines. A survey was conducted in the departure lounge of Kalibo International Airport in Boracay Island where 137 tourists participated by means of a questionnaire designed to assess their perceptions on a range of topics, such as crowding, conflict, encounters and their level of satisfaction on the island. The findings revealed that tourists did not feel uncomfortable with personal crowding in different sites on the island. However, a large percentage of these respondents experienced both social values and interpersonal conflicts with other visitors. While these types of conflicts did not greatly affect their level of satisfaction on the island, the study highlights the current need in Boracay Island for better tourism planning and management policies.

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