Capacidad de carga en grandes recursos turístico-culturales1/Load capacity in large cultural tourism resources

The concept of tourism carrying capacity has been widely reported in the literature since the early sixties of the twentieth century. However, its application in cultural resources and destinations has lower asset development. This article presents the development of scientific approaches to study tourism carrying capacity, focusing on approaches that have guided the positioning of international agencies feel doctrine in the field of heritage tourism management (ICOMOS, the World Heritage Centre of UNESCO and the World Tourism Organization). Presents itself a methodology for the preparation of studies of carrying capacity in cultural tourist resources, and shows its application in two great monuments of Spain: the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and the Royal Collegiate Church of San Isidoro of Leon. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]