Carrying capacity tourism and limit of acceptable exchange as a base for the sustainable management of tourism activities in the Cotacachi Cayapas National Park- Ecuador

The massive number of visitors entering the protected natural areas (ANP), in the Cota-cachi Cayapas National Park (PNCC), has caused counterproductive effects on the ecosys-tem. In 2019, this destination received 211,628 visitors, with a daily average of 757 people in summer (July-September) and 532 in winter (October-June), figures that generate saturation in its three main trails called: Vehicular, Sacred Route and The Orchids. The purpose of the research was firstly to review the carrying capacity and secondly to propose a process to regulate the entry and determine use and conservation strategies. The methodological tools used were; 1. The Tourist Carrying Capacity (CCT), carried out with a quantitative deductive approach, and 2. The Limit of Acceptable Change (LAC), executed as a qualitative descrip-tive model. The results showed that the CCT has a saturation of 197% in winter and 250% in summer, while the LAC corroborated that the affectation of the trails exceeds the acceptable changes. Therefore, to remedy the impact, it is necessary to make the CCT operational, with a daily entry of up to 304 visitors and by the LAC with the operationalization of strategies for the conservation and sustainable development of the PNCC.