Statistical Indicators for the Identification of Areas of Sustainable Tourism Development in Apulia Region

Tourism is undoubtedly a sector of significant importance as an eco-nomic resource but also as a privileged way to sensitize more and more people to respect the environment and the historical and cultural heritage and, at the same time, promote contact with other people. It also represents a potential tool for sup-porting traditional economic activities as well as improving the quality of life of local populations. Being a sector characterized by high employability (albeit sea-sonal and often with low qualifications), it becomes a priority that its development is consistent with the principles of sustainability and environmental protection. Sustainable tourism, defined as a form of tourism that respects the resources on which the very future of the sector depends, has been attributed to the functions of renewing the cultural pride of the host communities, empowering local com-munities, and protecting biodiversity. This study aims to analyse sets of indicators related to the tourism and territorial sustainability of municipalities in the Apulia region (Southern Italy). The available data will be examined at the municipal level using density-based spatial clustering methods (DBSCAN), which allow for the identification of contiguous areas with high levels of both tourism and territorial sustainability.