Duarte Morais

Duarte Morais is an Associate Professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management at North Carolina State University’s College of Natural Resources. He holds a Ph.D. in Tourism Marketing from Clemson University, an M.Ed. in Sport Management from Bowling Green State University, and a Licenciatura in Physical Education, Recreation, and Sports Management from Universidade Técnica de Lisboa.

His research focuses on People-First Tourism, emphasizing social entrepreneurship, IT for community change, poverty alleviation, and community-based conservation. He explores sustainable community development through tourism, including topics like community well-being, self-determination, and endogenous development. His work also covers relationship marketing, particularly loyal customer dynamics and eco-marketing strategies.

Recent grants include initiatives like Community Engagement and Assessment for Healthy, Equitable, and Resilient Food Systems (funded by the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust) and CREATE BRIDGES (Walmart Inc.), aimed at strengthening rural tourism economies. He has led projects scaling Vacationer Supported Agriculture (VSA) and the Fork2Farmer initiative, using video and chef partnerships to boost small farm viability.

Teaching includes courses like Sustainable Tourism and Deconstructing Tourism (graduate level). His work often involves participatory action research, leveraging technology and mixed methods to empower marginalized communities through tourism microentrepreneurship.