Emerging Scholar Profile- Dr. Mariana Bueno de Andrade-Matos

Abstract

I'm Mariana Bueno de Andrade-Matos, professor and researcher at the School of Arts, Sciences, and Humanities at the University of São Paulo. I hold a PhD in Business Administration from the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE / 2018). While pursuing my doctorate, I worked as a visiting researcher at Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUAS, 2017) in the Netherlands, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Greg Richards. I have a Masters in Business Administration and Graduated in Hospitality (UFPE, 2013) and in Tourism Management (Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Pernambuco, 2009).

My interest in research started since graduating and I have always understood its relevance and argued that the knowledge produced by the academy should approach and be known to society. Since graduating, I have split my time consistently between scientific research and the industry, prioritizing opportunities that would provide me with meaningful experiences. I have therefore developed several academic research projects at the university but have likewise prioritized opportunities at companies like Walt Disney World Resorts, the JW Marriott Miami (both in the United States of America) and other public and private organizations in my hometown of Recife. I now realize that all experiences, scientific and hands-on, have contributed and continue to contribute to my work as a professor and researcher. It should also be noted that many of the opportunities mentioned were made possible by the trust of relevant mentors in the work environment and, also, for the possibilities provided to me by my family in the home environment.

In 2018, I completed my doctorate and was hired as a professor at the Federal University of Paraíba, a university in the Northeast of Brazil, where I worked for two years in the Bachelor of Hotel Management. Since February 2020, I have been a professor of Leisure and Tourism at the School of Arts, Sciences, and Humanities of the University of São Paulo (EACH / USP), one of the main universities in Brazil, in the largest city in the country. I act still as a member of the International Academy for the Development of Tourism Research in Brazil (ABRATUR); I am from the scientific committee of the Brazilian Journal of Tourism Research (RBTUR); and affiliated to the National Association of Research and Postgraduate Studies in Tourism (ANPTUR). I am a leader of a research group in Gastronomy, Hospitality and Tourism at the University of São Paulo (Ghosto / USP / CNPq), centered on studies on food related to tourism and to hospitality. My chief areas of study are: authenticity in tourism experiences; cacao and chocolate tourism; food and beverage management; service marketing; and qualitative research approaches.

With my doctorate studies, I dedicated myself to two principal themes that have since accompanied and interested me in a significant way: authenticity in tourism experiences; and the special chocolates and the tourism that arises from them, the chocolate and cacao tourism.

In my dissertation, I reflected on the epistemological inconsistencies that previous research committed in uniting concepts and knowledge developed in authenticity, as indicated by Reisinger and Steiner (2006) ^[1]. I suggested the adoption of Edgar Morin's theory of complexity as an ontological and epistemological foundation for a defragmented understanding of authenticity in touristic experiences. A publication dealing with the theoretical part of this is “Authenticity in Tourism Experiences: proposition of a new look based on Edgar Morin's Theory of Complexity” of the Brazilian Journal of Tourism Research (Andrade-Matos & Barbosa, 2018b). A main publication about the proposition and research is “Rethinking Authenticity Through Complexity Paradigm” published in Annals of Tourism Research (Andrade-Matos, Richards & Barbosa, 2022).

Such theoretical reflections were applied in the empirical research of my thesis, which addressed tourism in cacao farms in southern Bahia. From that involvement with cacao in my doctoral research, I started to contemplate and seek to understand the bean-to-bar chocolate movement, started in the mid-1990s (Giller, 2017)^[2], and the cacao and chocolate tourism that arose from it. Bean-to-bar chocolates are those produced by the same producer from cacao pod to chocolate bar. The bean-to-bar movement involves, in addition to the nature of the production itself, the appreciation and enhancement of the chain of production, environmental benefit, and respect for consumers and producers alike. This type of chocolate emphasizes ​​the characteristics of cacao terroir and therefore provides unique sensory experiences. Due to the distinct characteristics of the origin of the cacao, new motives for tourism emerged, valuing specific destinations and attractions such as farms and cacao plantations and artisanal chocolate factories.

In 2018, I published a chapter in the book “Authenticity & Tourism: Materialities, Perceptions, Experiences” from the Tourism Social Science Series by Emerald Publisher. This book was organized by Dr. Elizabeth Vidon and Dr. Jillian Rickly. The chapter I wrote co-authored with Dr. Maria de Lourdes Barbosa is entitled “Marketing and Authenticity in Tourism: a cacao farm in Brazil,” and discusses concepts from experiential marketing and place branding to provide insights for authenticity studies in tourism (Andrade-Matos & Barbosa, 2018a). In 2021, the article “Da Crise Cacaueira ao Turismo Experiencial Chocolateiro: o início do movimento de reposicionamento de marca do destino turístico Ilhéus-BA” (The Cacao Crisis to Experimental Chocolate Tourism: the beginning of the movement of repositioning the touristic destination Ilhéus-BA brand”), made in partnership with Dr. Maria de Lourdes Barbosa e João Costa was published in the Brazilian Journal of Tourism Research. It deals with the historical and conceptual evolution of a Brazilian cacao tourist destination.

In addition to scientific work, I currently actively participate in the collective “Mulheres do Chocolate Brasil” (Women in Chocolate Brazil) and I have profiles on digital social networks and a website, all entitled Cacau e Cultura (Cacao and Culture) (@cacauecultura / www.cacauecultura.com). The collective seeks to discuss and value the women of cacao and chocolate and the project aims to bring me closer to consumers and the industry. On the pages of Cacau e Cultura, I share with the general public academic scientific research. This has resulted in participation in non-academic events, invitations and partnerships with productive companies for my academic activities. I conclude by reinforcing that today and, also thinking about the future, I will continue dedicating myself to studies on authenticity in tourism experiences and cacao and chocolate tourism, as well as reflecting on service marketing and management in food and beverage. Research projects are currently underway on authenticity and cacao and chocolate tourism in Pará, a state located in the Amazon, birthplace of cacao.

Further Readings:

Andrade-Matos, M. B.; Barbosa, M. L. (2018a) Marketing and Authenticity in Tourism: A Cacao Farm in Brazil. In: Jillian Rickly; Elizabeth Vidon. (Org.). Authenticity & Tourism: Materialities, Perceptions, Experiences. 1st ed.London: Emerald, v. 24, p. 1-20.

Andrade-Matos, M. B. & Barbosa, M. L. (2018b) Autenticidade em Experiências de Turismo: proposição de um novo olhar baseado na Teoria da Complexidade de Edgar Morin. Revista brasileira de pesquisa em turismo, v. 12, p. 154-171.

Andrade-Matos, M. B.; Barbosa, M. L. & Costa, J. H. (2021) Da Crise Cacaueira ao Turismo Experiencial Chocolateiro: o início do movimento de reposicionamento de marca do destino turístico Ilhéus-BA. Revista brasileira de pesquisa em turismo.

Andrade-Matos, Mariana Bueno De; Richards, Greg & Barbosa, Maria De Lourdes. (2022) Rethinking Authenticity Through Complexity Paradigm. Annals of Tourism Research, v. 92. (paper). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160738321002267

Souza, A.G.; Barbosa, M. L & Andrade-Matos, M. B. (2016) Brand extension: from a restaurant chain to a hotel chain. In: Ivanov, S; Ivanova, M; Magnini, V. (Org.). Routledge Handbook of Hotel Chain Management. 1ed. New York: Routledge, v. 1, p. 507-515.