Ecological footprint analysis on tourism carrying capacity at the Zhoushan Archipelago,China

Tourism has been a dynamic and potential industry in China in the recent two decades. However, the rapid development of tourism has caused tremendous ecological pressure. Evaluation of tourism carrying capacity is imperative to have a comprehensive understanding of tourism’s development and sustainability. Ecological footprint (EF) analysis was applied to quantitatively assess the ecological carrying capacity of tourism in the Zhoushan Municipality during the years 2010–2014, and geospatial technologies were used for regional analysis. Results showed that the tourism EF (TEF) and local EF slowly increased between 2010 and 2014. TEF accounted for a remarkable proportion over this five-year period and reached 20–30% of the regional EF. Amongst the four sub-regions, Dinghai appeared to have a relatively large deficit, whereas Shengsi presented a great ecological carrying capacity surplus, thereby revealing a remarkable local imbalance of development. Although the TEF of Zhoushan was slightly over its carrying capacity, the per capital EF of residents remained below average national and global levels. Proper planning and development of tourism at the regional level are suggested as a sound strategy for sustainable development of the Zhoushan Municipality.