ABSTRACT
In this work a territorial analysis is developed, in order to depict the characteristics of the tourism industry and its typical heterogeneity, since tourism is not only locally and seasonally concentrated on the demand side, but is also widely differentiated on the supply side. The empirical research is based on a multivariate analysis applied to an integrated community-level database on touristic supply and demand. Five clusters of municipalities have been identified among the Italian communes. Finally, the analysis of the most recent data on the effects of the covid pandemic on Italian firms, even if not available at the moment on a municipal basis, confirms the extent and the gravity of the crisis. © 2021 Societa Editrice il Mulino. All rights reserved.