The overexploitation of sandy beaches by tourism reduces ecological integrity, rendering natural conditions unsatisfactory for the needs of the population and resulting in negative socio-economic impacts. In this context, the assessment of tourist carrying capacity aims to support beach management from a social, environmental, and economic perspective. The objective of this study was to estimate the tourist carrying capacity at nine beaches in the states of Rio de Janeiro (RJ) and Espírito Santo (ES), southeastern Brazil. The physical carrying capacity was calculated based on the available space for recreation in scenarios of one user per 5 m² and 10 m². Subsequently, limiting environmental factors for recreational use such as sunlight, precipitation, strong winds, tidal range, and temperature were considered, supporting the calculation of the tourist carrying capacity. For the calculation, management conditions (infrastructure and services) were estimated based on the scoring of 69 indicators, included in the international beach quality program called Blue Flag and in the main instrument for coastal management in Brazil, the Orla Project. At RJ beaches, the carrying capacity was not exceeded in the scenario of one user per 10 m², except in the central region with a higher tourist appeal. In ES state, the results indicated overload for all beaches in the central southern region; for example, one received six times more users than its tourist capacity. Overall, the highest percentages of management capacity were recorded at beaches with Blue Flag certification. The beaches that require the most improvements in coastal management are those located in regions with lower Human Development Index (HDI) and farther from major urban centers. The results suggest priority management actions and guide efforts towards potential beach certification. The management of services, infrastructure, and overload highlights the need for preventive measures to avoid the tourism paradox, including loss of environmental quality and revenue. Moreover, the flexibility of this evaluation tool allows for its application in beaches of any country. The integration of tourist carrying capacity and assessment of the coastal scenario provides a more comprehensive and effective framework for the sustainable management of beaches.

旅游业对沙滩的过度开发降低了生态完整性，使自然条件无法满足人口的需求，并造成负面的社会经济影响。在此背景下，游客承载能力评估旨在从社会、环境和经济角度支持海滩管理。本研究的目的是估算巴西东南部里约热内卢州 (RJ) 和圣埃斯皮里图州 (ES) 九个海滩的游客承载能力。物理承载能力是根据每5 m ²和10 m ^{2 1人的情况下的可用休闲空间计算的}。随后，考虑了日照、降水、强风、潮差、温度等限制游憩利用的环境因素，支撑了游客承载能力的计算。在计算过程中，管理条件（基础设施和服务）是根据 69 个指标的评分进行估算的，这些指标包含在名为“蓝旗”的国际海滩质量计划和巴西沿海管理的主要工具 Orla 项目中。在RJ海滩，除了旅游吸引力较高的中部地区外，每10 m ² 1个用户的情况下的承载能力并未超过。在ES州，结果显示中南部地区所有海滩都超载；例如，其中一个接待的用户数量是其游客容量的六倍。总体而言，获得蓝旗认证的海滩管理能力百分比最高。最需要改进沿海管理的海滩是位于人类发展指数（HDI）较低且距离主要城市中心较远地区的海滩。结果建议优先管理行动并指导潜在海滩认证的工作。服务、基础设施和超载的管理凸显了采取预防措施的必要性，以避免旅游悖论，包括环境质量和收入的损失。此外，该评估工具的灵活性使其可以应用于任何国家的海滩。将游客承载能力与海岸情景评估相结合，为海滩的可持续管理提供了更全面、更有效的框架。