Abandoning field research, Tusa dealt with the administration of cultural heritage in the roles of the Sicilian Region, leading the superintendency of Trapani.

[4] In 2005, he led the excavations at Motya, bringing to light, the submerged road that leads to the island, as well as structures identifiable as quays.

[5] The excavations he promoted, and conducted in the field by Fabrizio Nicoletti and Maurizio Cattani, also confirmed the role of Pantelleria as a "crossroads for merchants" in ancient times.

[8] After leaving the Superintendency of the Sea, on 11 April 2018 he was appointed councilor for Cultural Heritage by the president of the Sicilian Region Nello Musumeci, replacing Vittorio Sgarbi.

Tusa was survived by his wife, Valeria Patrizia Li Vigni, the director of the Palazzo Riso Museum of Contemporary Art in Palermo.