Mário Beni, the Engineer who Made it Big in Tourism

Abstract

Acclaimed by the academic world of tourism, Mário Carlos Beni authored the most widely used book in undergraduate tourism programs in the country, Análise Estrutural do Turismo, and is the guest for the relaunch of the interview section of Revista Turismo em Análise. A member of the National Tourism Council of Brazil and a world-renowned researcher, in this exclusive conversation he tells us about his career in tourism, including architecture, urbanism, and politics. He also gives his opinion on various topics such as the arrival of artificial intelligence, post-doctoral studies, ego, and betrayals in academia. Passionate about new knowledge and a gastronome in his spare time, the leading professor in the field looks back on his career and talks to contemporary and future researchers. This remote interview took place on March 25, 2023 and lasted an hour, and its content were transcribed in their entirety. It serves to eternalize a personal story that is intertwined with the trajectory of higher education and postgraduate studies in Tourism in Brazil.