Abstract (150 Words)
In academia as well as in practice there is increasing interest in governing the complex relationships within destinations. Nevertheless, a gap persists in knowledge on how to valorize and engage the local community in the tourism development process. This paper analyzes residents’ perceptions, attitudes, and involvement towards tourism development in a mature Italian “Sun, Sea and Sand” tourism destination. An Exploratory Factor Analysis was applied to reveal the underlying factors in the data, followed by a K-Means Cluster Analysis that resulted in the identification of four groups of residents representing different levels of interest towards tourism ranging from euphoria to apathy. The findings and conclusions are proposed as useful tools for tourism policymakers in Italy and beyond that are generally unfamiliar with stakeholder management and other strategic management approaches.
Residents’ Engagement and Local Tourism Governance in Maturing Beach Destinations: Evidence from an Italian Case Study
In academia as well as in practice there is increasing interest in governing the complex relationships within destinations. Nevertheless, a gap persists in knowledge on how to valorize and engage the local community in the tourism development process. This paper analyzes residents’ perceptions, attitudes, and involvement towards tourism development in a mature Italian “Sun, Sea and Sand” tourism destination. An Exploratory Factor Analysis was applied to reveal the underlying factors in the data, followed by a K-Means Cluster Analysis that resulted in the identification of four groups of residents representing different levels of interest towards tourism ranging from euphoria to apathy. The findings and conclusions are proposed as useful tools for tourism policymakers in Italy and beyond that are generally unfamiliar with stakeholder management and other strategic management approaches.
