Planning for sustainable tourism in protected areas. A policy-oriented spatial evaluation framework

The governance of protected areas plays a key role in preserving biodiversity and fostering sustainable development, particularly through nature-based tourism. This paper introduces the Robustness Supply Tourism Index (RSTI), a robust tool to assess the infrastructural balance of tourism destinations within protected areas. The study focuses on the Appennino Lucano Val d'Agri Lagonegrese National Park in Italy, where the STESY model (Specialized Tourism EcoSYstems) was implemented to define Destination Areas (DAj), and the RSTI was applied to assess the distribution of tourism infrastructure supply within these areas. Results highlight significant disparities among DAj, revealing mismatches between tourist attractions and available services and accessibility. These findings provide insights into infrastructure planning, identify priority areas for investment, and support evidence-based policy-making to promote sustainable tourism models. The RSTI approach enables benchmarking across regions and contributes to the operationalization of territorial sustainability. Furthermore, the analysis expands beyond administrative boundaries, identifying a new geography of tourism supply that reveals regional dynamics and cross-jurisdictional planning needs. This study contributes to the operationalization of sustainability principles in tourism governance and spatial planning. Future research directions include expanding the model to other case studies and incorporating socio-environmental variables for a more comprehensive assessment.