Professor Dimitrios Buhalis

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis – Chair in Tourism; Deputy Director of International Centre for Tourism Research

An internationally renowned researcher, Professor Dimitrios Buhalis is one of the world’s most cited academics – and don’t just take his word for it. He’s frequently rated as the number one most influential author for articles in Tourism Management (Google Scholar / Publish or Perish 2010).

Dimitrios specialises in e-Tourism and advises on the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) which is revolutionising the tourism business for countries, companies and us – the consumer: “Given the growth of online travel sales and social networking web applications such as TripAdvisor and Expedia, technology is empowering consumer choice and becomes critical for the competitiveness of tourism organisations and regions,” says Dimitrios.

Having completed his undergraduate studies at University of the Aegean, Greece, Dimitrios moved to the UK to undertake his PhD at University of Surrey. He’s also worked at University of Westminster where he led several tourism modules. He joined BU in 2007 and has become a dynamic figure both within the University and the large regional tourism community. He’s also responsible for driving forward a cross-University initiative to pioneer collaborative research within the theme of the creative and digital economy.

Not surprisingly, his research and consultancy reads like a travelogue. His work has taken him across continents from Rovaniemi in Finland to Ivory Coast and from Brisbane, Australia to Santiago, Chile. Thanks to an EU grant of £1.5M he’s also helping small and medium sized companies in Greece, Spain, Cyprus, Portugal and Italy transform their business model by helping them develop wireless-based services to encourage growth.

Colleagues often comment on his zest for life: “My job is my hobby and my hobby is my job!” he says.  When he finds some free time he goes to the “lab”, as he calls the tourism industry, and being based on Britain’s stunning south coast means the ‘lab’ is right on his doorstep. He also loves travelling, swimming, snorkelling, scuba diving, exploring local cultures and cuisines. As ex-professional photographer he is a photography maniac. A visit to his website, www.buhalis.com reveals his love of people and places.

So what does he regards as the most pressing issues in his field right now? “Using technology to manage different experiences is an opportunity while the industry continues to suffer from a low return on investment from tourism.”

Contact details
Professor Dimitrios Buhalis BBA, MSc, PhD
Bournemouth University (Talbot Campus)
Tel +44 1202 961517
Email: dbuhalis@bournemouth.ac.uk