Proximity tourism in the province of Latina: a multidimensional analysis

The crisis triggered by COVID-19 has resulted in an appreciation of proximity tourism as a key factor for people’s well-being and for the economic resilience of Italy’s peripheral areas. In general, the success of proximity tourism might depend on: the relationships that tourists establish with a plurality of stakeholders; the degree of development and accessibility of the areas, especially when considering the tourism attractiveness of rural and natural areas; the contribution of culturally sustainable proximity tourism to narrow territorial and economic disparities on a local, provincial or regional scale. Against this background, the research explores the potential of the Province of Latina for culturally sustainable proximity tourism that considers the metropolitan city of Rome as its place of origin. In particular, the research answers the following questions: what are the most attractive destinations for proximity tourism from the Metropolitan City of Rome to the Province of Latina? What territorial factors can positively or negatively influence local tourism attractiveness? What benefits do local communities obtain from the development of proximity tourism from the Metropolitan City of Rome? To elaborate an answer, a multidimensional analysis is developed focusing on the construction and measurement of a composite index integrating four domains: tourist attractiveness, tourist development, economic development and territorial development. Using the data published by ISTAT at the municipal scale, integrated with other data collected through desk research, a score for the composite indicator is calculated for each municipality from the measurement of a set of elementary indicators. Based on the results obtained, policy recommendations are formulated that may contribute to identifying the role of proximity tourism in the Province of Latina as part of a culturally sustainable local development process.