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The carrying capacity of mountainous tourist areas: the case of plastira’s lake
2. Planning of work taking into consideration the carrying capacity (meaning the resistance)
of the ecosystems and the biological diversity.
3. Development of tourism activities in combination with the application of uses and practices
friendly to the environment.
4. Planning of tourism, in such a way that it is not a burden to only one part of the area but
being spread spatially and temporally, causing the least possible consequences in the
protected areas.
5. Planning of material and technical infrastructure taking into consideration the saving of
energy, the guaranteed cleaning of waste and the taking of remedial measures for the
protection of the local environment.
6. Participation of the institutions of exploitation of ecotourism activities in local, national
and international action of environmental protection.
According to the rules above, we could say for the area of Plastira's Lake the following:
• Tourism development should consist of a lot of infrastructures on a small scale, which
would push forward local characteristics of each area without being an excessive burden
to the local environment. In the bibliography a proportion of six (6) tourist beds per 100
permanent residents is reported indicatively, which is considered not to aggravate the
natural and cultural environment of the reception area. The proportion can, in a lot of cases
be bigger without causing problems, but when a limit (e.g. of 50 per 100) is exceeded the
problems of mass tourism are noticeable.
• Tourism activities in the areas of natural protection should be strictly controlled, spatially
and temporally spread in such a way that local micro-environments are not disturbed by
continuous visits at the same place. Important role in the achievement of this aim plays
the establishment of a network of paths with specific labelling that will lead the visitor
only to those places which have been evaluated as suitable for visits. Especially in the
sensitive areas, visits should be made with the escort of guardian-ecotour-guide. In the
periods of fauna-reproduction the visits in the sensitive places can be replaced by extensive
and detailed information using maps, booklets, posters, models, slides and films in the
Information Centre.
• The infrastructures that will be created (guest rooms, recreation infrastructures etc.) should
be adapted to the local environment and should have environmentally, friendly planning.
In the cases of monument promotion, particular attention should be paid to the spatial
conservation because, as UNESCO underlines «a monument loses important part of its
attractiveness when it is separated from the elements that surrounds it (small buildings,
Tourism Today - Fall 2007 - Full Paper
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