Iason Koufodontis

Dr. Iason Koufodontis is an Assistant Professor of Tourism Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Department of Tourism Economics and Management at the University of the Aegean, and an Adjunct Faculty Member at the Hellenic Open University. He is affiliated with several academic research laboratories focusing on tourism innovation, digital transformation, and entrepreneurship.

Dr. Koufodontis has accumulated more than three decades of professional experience in higher and adult education. He is certified by national authorities in adult training and has over 18 years of independent academic teaching experience at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels in universities in Europe and the United States.

Since 1994, he has participated as a researcher and principal investigator in numerous European Union–funded research programmes, contributing to a research career spanning over thirty years. His scholarly output includes authored books, peer-reviewed journal articles, and conference publications in the fields of tourism management, digital innovation, and entrepreneurship. He also serves as a reviewer for international scientific journals and as an evaluator and certifier for European research programmes.

His research and teaching interests lie primarily in the areas of digital entrepreneurship and the application of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in service management, with an emphasis on hospitality enterprises and destination management. His broader academic interests encompass organizational and technological innovation, strategic management of small and medium-sized hospitality enterprises, digital marketing, online and social media in tourism, destination e-image and branding, aviation and tourism, and regional development.

In addition to his academic activities, Dr. Koufodontis possesses substantial industry experience as a co-owner and partner in internet service provider enterprises. He has extensive expertise in programming, application development, information management, knowledge discovery, and internet technologies. He is among the pioneers in the development and implementation of digital technologies in tourism in Greece, having contributed to several innovative projects since the dawn of the internet era.

Teaching

Course lecturing at Tourism Economics and Management Department

“Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism” (2019- )

“e-Commerce For Tourism Enterprises” (2020- )

«Management Information Systems» (2019- )

Research

Selected Recent Publications

Koufodontis, N. I., & Gaki, E. (2025). Decoupling authenticity from place: culinary tourism and the globalization of ethnic dining. British Food Journal, 1-19.