Andres Coca-Stefaniak

Professor J. Andres Coca-Stefaniak DProf, MSc, DIC, BEng (Hons), PGCert HE, FHEA, FRGS

Professor of Tourism and Sustainability

J. Andres Coca-Stefaniak is Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Tourism Cities - ranked as "B" in the prestigious Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) Journal Quality List. He is also the recipient of a number of University of Greenwich awards, including Postgraduate Research Supervisor of the Year (2022), Inspirational Teaching (2020), Undergraduate Supervisor of the Year (2017) and Outstanding Contribution to the Student Experience (2016).

Professor Coca-Stefaniak is listed in the Stanford/Elsevier Top 2% of Highly Cited Scientists, which identifies the world's most influential researchers based on standardised citation metrics drawn from the Scopus database.

He is a co-editor of the Routledge Handbook of Tourism Cities (2021) and the Handbook of Sustainable Urban Tourism (2024), Associate Editor of the Journal of Tourism Futures (Scopus @ Q1), and Advisor to the Board of Trustees of the Greenwich Foundation at the Old Royal Naval College (part of Greenwich's UNESCO World Heritage Site).

He has delivered expert evidence to Members of Parliament in the House of Commons and policymakers at the European Commission in Brussels on topics including the vitality and competitiveness of town centres, tourism, and the role of traditional markets in revitalising town centres.

Andres has 24 years of experience in securing external research funding with a track record of over €2.4 million of direct (cash) funding secured for projects mostly as Principal Investigator with combined budgets to date in excess of €15 million. At the University of Greenwich, he has led the research element of two major (>£1.3 million) projects (GO TRADE and SHARE) co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Andres' main areas of interest include urban tourism, smart cities and smart tourism destinations, applications of artificial intelligence in tourism, place marketing and branding, the management and competitiveness of places (including town centres, high streets, heritage sites and tourism destinations), enterprise support and the management of sustainability in the context of businesses and places.

Prior to joining the University of Greenwich, Andres held academic positions at a number of UK universities, including Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of the Arts London and the University of East London. He was also founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Town and City Management, as well as Head of Research, Thought Leadership and International Partnerships at the Association of Town and City Management.

Andres serves as a member of the editorial board of 12 international academic journals in urban management, tourism and business.

Before going into academia, Andres worked as a Mineral Resources Engineer for Shell International and Anglo American plc. with direct field management responsibility for 35 staff.

Business and management

Awards
  • Postgraduate Research Supervisor of the Year Award (Faculty of Business), Student-Led Teaching Awards, University of Greenwich, 2022
  • Inspirational Teaching Award (Faculty of Business), Student-Led Teaching Awards, University of Greenwich, 2020
  • Undergraduate Supervisor of the Year award finalist (Faculty of Business), Student-Led Teaching Awards, University of Greenwich, 2020
  • Undergraduate Supervisor of the Year Award (Faculty of Business), Student-Led Teaching Awards, University of Greenwich, 2017
  • Outstanding Contribution to the Student Experience Award, Faculty of Business Excellence in Education Staff Awards, Business Faculty, University of Greenwich, 2016
  • Inspirational Teaching Award finalist (Faculty of Business), Student-Led Teaching Awards, University of Greenwich, 2016
  • Rising Star Award, Faculty of Business Excellence in Education Staff Awards, Business Faculty, University of Greenwich, 2015
  • Outstanding Reviewer Award, Emerald Literati Network, International Journal of Tourism Cities, 2015

Recognition
  • Advisor to the Board of Trustees, Greenwich Foundation
  • Co-Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Tourism Cities
  • Expert Advisor, World Tourism Cities Federation
  • Member of the UK Government's Future High Streets Forum
  • Editorial Review Board Member, Annals of Tourism Research
  • Editorial Board Member, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research
  • Associate Editor, Sustainability
  • Associate Editor, Journal of Urban Regeneration and Renewal
  • Associate Editor, Journal of Tourism Futures
  • Editorial Board Member, Journal of Place Management and Development
  • Editorial Board Member, Annals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights
  • Editorial Board Member, Smart Cities
  • Editorial Board Member, Urban Planning
  • Editorial Board Member, Event Management
  • Founding Editor-in-Chief (formerly), Journal of Town and City Management
  • Fellow, Higher Education Academy
  • Fellow, Royal Geographical Society
  • Senior Fellow, Global Urban Development Group
  • Reviewer, Tourism Management
  • Reviewer, Cities
  • Reviewer, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services
  • Reviewer, Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing
  • Reviewer, Journal of Destination Marketing & Management
  • Reviewer, International Journal of Retail Distribution and Management
  • Reviewer, Journal of Brand Management

Research / Scholarly interests
  • Management and competitiveness of places, including town centres, high streets and tourism destinations
  • Urban tourism
  • Place & tourism destination marketing and branding
  • Smart cities and smart tourism destinations
  • Management of sustainability in businesses and places
  • Enterprise support

Key funded projects

Recent publications