She holds a degree in Economics from the Catholic University of Minas Gerais (1982), a specialization in Planning (João Pinheiro Foundation, 1983), and in Statistics (UFMG, 1998). She earned a Master’s in Tourism from the University of Alicante, Spain, and a PhD in Economics from Cedeplar/UFMG and the University of Alicante (2012). She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at UFMG, in the Tourism program. She served as Scientific and Cultural Director of the UFMG Knowledge Space (2018–2022). Her areas of expertise include the economics of tourism and culture, tourism and poverty, literary tourism, and the economic feasibility of projects, with a current focus on the intersection between tourism and literature.

Doctora en Comunicación por la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (2015), con estancias de investigación en Estados Unidos. Ha trabajado como investigadora y profesora en Portugal y Países Bajos, incluyendo una beca Marie Skłodowska-Curie. Preside el Centro de Conocimiento Erasmus para Cine, Patrimonio y Turismo. También es miembro de ITI-LARSyS (Portugal). Participa en FitoTO, una organización internacionalmente reconocida que promueve prácticas sostenibles e inclusivas en cine y turismo. Su carrera combina investigación, docencia e innovación cultural.

She is a researcher at the Center for Tourism Research, Development and Innovation (CITUR) and the Center for Research in Literary Tourism (TULE). She is co-editor of the academic journal Journal of Tourism & Arts. Over the last decade, she has conducted research in tourism and literary studies, organized various scientific meetings on the topic, and published articles in this field. She is co-editor of the Electronic Dictionary of Literary Tourism (2023). ORCID 0000-0002-3188-5150

PhD in Communication Sciences (UNISINOS) and Master's in Geography (UNESP), with a specialization in Higher Education Teaching (SENAC) and a Bachelor's degree in Tourism (UNIMEP). He has been a professor at UFDPar since 2008 and a full professor of the master's programs in Tourism (UFPR) and Psychology (UFDPar). He is a CNPq Productivity Fellow and ANPTUR 2022 Distinguished Researcher. He is a leader of the MiComT group and a collaborator in national and international groups. He has held management and advisory positions at UFDPar and ABRATUR. He publishes and researches topics related to tourism, communication, education, technology, and image. He is the editorial director of EDUFDPar and a member of governing boards and institutional and state governing bodies.

He is a journalist, producer, and film director. He worked for eight years in print and television before founding Spaghetti Filmes in 2003, a Brazilian production company specializing in digital communication. He has directed more than 30 feature films, short films, and medium-length films, in addition to producing more than 100 commercial, institutional, and advertising films. A visual arts specialist with a specialization in digital art and new media, he continues to research photography and film. He is currently a professor at the University of Caxias do Sul, in the Audiovisual Production: Film, Photography, and Visual Arts programs.

Special Panel: Film Tourism and Film Commissions as Drivers of the Tourism Economy

Duda Rocha holds a Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degree in Tourism and Hospitality from the Universidade de Caxias do Sul (UCS), with a background in Social Communication – Advertising and Public Relations. She has a specialization in Cultural Heritage Enhancement from the Università La Sapienza di Roma and participated in a research exchange at the University of Coimbra (Portugal), focusing on tourism, territory, and heritage. With over two decades of experience in the fields of communication, culture, and tourism, she has established a career in audiovisual production, directing, and curating short films and documentaries, exploring narratives that connect memory, identity, and regional development. She is a researcher with the HOSPITUR groups – Tourism and Hospitality: Human and Social Development, Language and Educational Processes – and the Center for Migration Studies (CNPq/UCS), where she develops interdisciplinary studies on memory, ethnicity, hospitality and culture, contributing to the contemporary debate on creative economy and cultural policies as strategic dimensions for the sustainable development of territories.