ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses issues surrounding increased anthropogenic pressure on museums and a proposed methodology for calculating carrying capacity. The authors consider key trends in the relationship between museums and visitors in the context of cultural tourism, as well as the main challenges facing museum management today. In the medium term and with respect to the relationship between museum and visitor, the role of the latter will continue to grow. In this regard, there is a need to deepen interaction with visitors, not only on a formal level, but by developing mutual exchange and visitor participation in special programmes, discussions, and other museum events. This will inevitably lead to an increase both in the amount of time visitors spend in museums, and the level of anthropogenic pressure museum buildings and heritage sites experience. This chapter provides a procedure for the application of ‘Methodological Guidelines for Visitor Attendance Management in Museums of the Russian Federation Based on a Site's Ability to Receive Visitors’. Based on their experience of developing the document and its practical application, the authors evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in the assessment of maximum anthropogenic pressure.
