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 engage the local community
in the tourism development process. This paper analyzes residents’ perceptions, attitudes, and
involvement related to tourism development in a mature Italian ‘‘Sun, Sea and Sand’’ tourism
destination. Exploratory factor analysis followed by cluster analysis revealed four groups of residents
representing different levels of interest towards tourism ranging from euphoria to apathy. The findings
and conclusions are useful for tourism policymakers in Italy and elsewhere where there is a critical
need for stakeholder management and other strategic management approaches in the public realm