Purpose This study aims to investigate residents’ perception in two Swedish archipelago regions regarding the influx of tourists to their islands with a link to social carrying capacity (SCC). Design/methodology/approach A mixed-methods approach has been used. The data come from 477 complete online surveys with quantitative and qualitative questions, and six in-depth interviews. A content analysis method has been employed. Findings Overtourism in terms of strongly increased number of visitors happens in some of the inhabited islands. Still, residents in these regions show generally a rather moderate attitude towards it although residents of Gothenburg Archipelago perceive more negative impacts. Lack of public ferry boat departures, followed by traffic congestions to the port and on the islands plus crowding on the island have been more frequently mentioned as problematic. Lack of service, sanitation, waste management and respectless tourist behaviour are other problems. Most of the residents believe that tourism would not create a problem for the islands and their inhabitants in the future. Based on the SCC and through the lens of residents, both regions still tolerate to receive more tourists. Research limitations/implications This study has theoretical and practical implications for the society and for the research community. SCC needs to take into account aspects outside the destination, and based on this and other indicators, policy makers should evaluate the destination’s threshold of tourist numbers. Originality/value This study contributes to the existing international research on the topic and increases our understanding of overtourism in cold-water islands with a link to SCC. The absence of tourists’ perspective is a limitation of this study.