Mara Franco holds a Ph.D. in Business and Management Studies from the School of Economics and Management (University of Porto). She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Madeira, where she is the President of the Higher School of Management and Technologies and the Coordinator of the Centre for Research, Development, and Innovation in Tourism, based in Madeira, where she is also an Integrated Researcher. Currently, she coordinates research on consumer behaviour in tourism, tourism market characterisation and gamification strategies in tourism.