Mapping of the educational offer and the formal structures of tourism research in Brazil

Abstract

Starting from the question of how the educational offer in tourism is articulated with the formal structures of knowledge production in the area, this article sought to map the educational offer of tourism courses (EOT), in its different levels, existing in Brazil, as well as the offer of formal tourism research structures (FTRS). In order to do so, it was carried out a theoretical review of organs and formal structures (nuclei, groups, observatories, centers, etc.) dedicated to tourism research. For the empirical accomplishment of the study a census was carried out on the courses of tourism existing in the country. The study was based exclusively on secondary data, using information from the Ministry of Education for the generation of a sample (tourism courses), which was verified individually in all HEIs of the country, collecting specific information about EOT and FTRS, according to a research protocol developed in a previous study. The results show the strong asymmetry between OET and EFIT, besides the internal discrepancies of EOT itself (such as the preponderance of undergraduate courses). It is concluded that EOT needs to be rebalanced between its different strata, as well as better connected with the structures of production of knowledge (EFIT), in order to provide a qualitative change in this area of professional.