Exploring local knowledge and socio‐economic factors for touristic attractiveness and sustainability

Abstract The present study investigates residents' perception of tourism as a sustainable development driver and explores the reasons why residents recognize their own place of residence as an attractive tourism destination. The work considers one of Italy's most visited tourist destinations (Puglia) and uses quantitative (i.e., inferential and text mining) and qualitative (i.e., survey) approaches. Main results reveal that socio‐economic and environmental factors positively affect residents' perception of tourism as a driver of sustainable development. Furthermore, the spatial dimensions of the territories of Puglia, perceived by indigenous local knowledge, are key elements for tourist attractiveness of its destinations.