In recent decades the number of visitors to archaeological sites has increased exponentially. This increase has generated both negative and positive impacts. This article proposes a Visitor Flow Management Process (VFMP) that aims to minimize the negative impacts and enhance the benefits visitor flows can have in touristified archaeological sites. Although several proposals for visitor management frameworks exist for natural protected areas, for archaeological sites there are only isolated strategies and actions. Following a review of the literature on the visitor impacts and visitor management strategies implemented in 11 touristified archaeological sites around the world, 96 visitor management measures were identified, classified and synthesized into a three stage-process: (1) Restrict the number of visitors; (2) Redistribute visitor flows in time and space and (3) Interpret the archaeological site considering the mass influx of visitors. VFMP is a useful tool for heritage site managers dealing with mass tourism, whose implementation can contribute to reducing damage to heritage and enhancing the quality of the visitor experience.

Cenotes are spectacular karst formations in Yucatan, Mexico, often used for recreation. However, their impact on water quality has yet to be explored in detail. Therefore, during Easter, water samples were collected from four cenotes to identify variations in water quality associated with the presence of tourists. PCO of water quality, before (PH) and during Holy Week (HW) in 2019, explained 49.02% of the total variation. The indicators contributing to the first principal coordinate’s variation were Sr, K, sulfate, and chloride (0.89). Whereas, alkalinity, temperature, conductivity, nitrate, and ORP contributed to the second PC. PERMANOVA indicated a significant interaction between “cenote” and “condition” factors, and post hoc paired comparisons indicated significant differences between PH and HW conditions. Significant correlations varied among the four cenotes as the result of hydrogeological differences. Whereas, numbers of visitors were correlated with at least one fecal-matter indicator, demonstrating anthropogenic influence on the cenotes’ water quality.

Most studies on crowding perception have focused on terrestrial natural areas and, to a lesser extent, on marine areas. The cenotes (sinkholes) of the Yucatán Peninsula are flooded caves that comprise one of the largest freshwater reserves in Mexico, and their use is rapidly changing from agricultural-livestock to tourism-recreational. Determining crowding indicators and standards has proven to be an effective tool in making the social dimension of carrying capacity in tourism-recreational sites operative and contributing to its sustainable management. This study used normative theory and the visual method to identify the crowding standards of visitors to two cenotes located in the community of San Antonio Mulix in Yucatán and to compare these standards in three types of visitors: local, national and international. Likewise, willingness to pay (WTP) for each type of visitor was identified and its correlation to perceived crowding was analyzed. The results found that visitor acceptability in both cenotes decreased as the number of people increased. In both cenotes international visitors have the most restricted crowding acceptability levels and are those who are willing to pay a higher entry fee. Finally, the results are discussed in the framework of better management of the cenotes.

Just before the lockdown caused by the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19, the archeological sites close to the Mexican Caribbean were having an exponential number of visitors. The restrictions on traveling due to the pandemic resulted in a decrease in the number of visitors; however, the visitor flow is rising again. This scenario provides a historical opportunity to carry out strategies towards the visitor’s management as well as to awake consciousness of the damage caused by the excess of visitors in cultural heritage sites. Establishing limits on the number of visitors is a well-recognized strategy to achieve sustainability in a cultural heritage site. An excess of visitors has an impact on two elements: the cultural resource and the quality of the visitor experience. Crowding perception has been demonstrated to be an effective indicator to evaluate the visitor experience and to determine standards of quality in cultural and natural sites. The place of origin of visitors is among the sociodemographic factors that can affect crowding standards. This study used a quantitative questionnaire based on normative theory and a visual method to identify the crowding standards of national and international visitors at the Mayan archaeological site of Tulum located in the vicinity of the Mexican Caribbean resort of Cancun. The results show that general visitor acceptability decreases as the number of people increase. International visitors are less tolerant to crowding than national visitors as they show the most restrictive acceptable level of people at the same time at the archaeological site. Findings are discussed in terms of their management implications for the development of a tourism-carrying capacity framework for cultural sites, thereby contributing to the achievement of more sustainable cultural tourism.

El presente trabajo describe los procesos de patrimonialización y turistificación al que la milpa maya, en su condición de patrimonio cultural inmaterial, por una parte, y de patrimonio biocultural por otra, está siendo objeto en Yucatán, en particular en la comunidad de Ek Balam. La milpa maya es un sistema agrícola, técnico, productivo y sociocultural, que en la actualidad se mantiene en comunidades rurales de la península de Yucatán a pesar de las condicionantes socioeconómicas, políticas y ambientales adversas, propias de un proceso de cambios globales que inciden en la dinámica social y productiva del campo. En este contexto, el turismo se insertó al sistema productivo de la milpa como una de las actividades económicas que provee un ingreso monetario cada vez más necesario en el ámbito familiar rural. Paralelo a la turistificación de los espacios rurales y de los sistemas agrícolas tradicionales, observamos una voluntad por parte de las instituciones de patrimonializar estos sistemas basados en el conocimiento tradicional con gran valor ecológico y cultural.

The psychosocial load capacity has proven to be an effective instrument to establish maximum numbers of people that a tourist is willing to see simultaneously in natural spaces. Although, it has been widely applied in national parks in the USA, this indicator has not been used in confined natural spaces such as the cenotes of the Yucatan Peninsula. This research applies this indicator generating results that can be used for sustainable management of these spaces.