Manuel António Brites Salgado

Manuel António Brites Salgado is an Associate Professor at the School of Tourism and Hospitality, Polytechnic Institute of Guarda (Portugal), where he has served since 2003. He directs the Degree in Tourism and Leisure (since 2011) and the Master in Management and Sustainability in Tourism (since 2009). His roles include lecturing multiple courses and leading curricular units. He is an integrated member of the Tourism Research Group (GITUR) at the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria (since 2013) and collaborator member of the Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policy (GOVCOPP) research unit at the University of Aveiro (since 2009). He actively participates in accreditation processes for tourism higher education courses through A3ES committees since 2011.

Education: PhD in Tourism and a degree in Management and Planning in Tourism from the University of Aveiro. Collaborates with multiple institutions including Polytechnic Institutes of Coimbra, Leiria, and Porto.

Research interests focus on tourism education, sustainable tourism development, cultural heritage preservation, rural tourism strategies, and regional tourism planning. His work emphasizes the Alva Valley and Serra da Estrela regions, exploring topics like gastronomic heritage, disaster resilience, and community-based tourism initiatives.

His publications (over 50 listed) analyze tourism education systems, sustainable development in natural and cultural territories, and post-disaster tourism recovery. Recent trends include studies on low-density territories, social entrepreneurship, and gastronomy's role in regional tourism.

Salgado advises on tourism policy and collaborates with higher education institutions, contributing to teaching methodologies and program accreditation. He has led projects like the Alvaland tourism strategy and the i3Social social innovation initiative. His work integrates academic research with practical applications in destination development and heritage management.

Labs/Teams: Active member of interdisciplinary teams at GITUR and GOVCOPP, focusing on tourism governance and territorial development. Collaborates internationally through networks like the Lusophone Tourism Research Network (RETNL).