Christopher A. Barnes

Christopher A. Barnes is a Ph.D. candidate, researcher, and associate staff member at Edinburgh Napier University's Business School in Edinburgh, Scotland. He teaches a masters module in Business Event Management and has extensive experience teaching both undergraduate and master's level courses, including supervising students through work-based learning modules.

His educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in progress (2022-2025): "An assessment of the sustainable practices required of both pilgrim and host on the Camino Frances"
• PgCert in Research Methods in Business Research (2021-2022): Graduated with Distinction
• MSc in International Festival & Event Management (2020-2021): Graduated with High Distinction, winner of the university medal
• BA (Hons) in Tourism Management (2009-2013)

Christopher's research focuses on sustainable tourism practices, particularly pilgrimage tourism along the Camino Frances, using ethnographic and visual research methods to assess environmental, economic, and socio-cultural sustainability. His work combines academic research with practical applications for the events industry, having developed sustainability toolkits for festival managers in collaboration with the British Council. His publications demonstrate expertise across multiple dimensions of event management, from business planning and financial management to artistic curation and audience development.

Christopher has received notable recognition for his academic work:

• University Medal for his MSc in International Festival & Event Management
• Distinction in his PgCert of Research Methods in Business Research

As a researcher, he has worked on significant projects including the Future of Edinburgh Tourism project (2023-2024) with Professor Anna Leask and Dr. Louise Todd, and the Destination Net Zero project alongside Professor Jane Ali-Knight and Dr. Martin Robertson. In late 2024, he was selected as an ambassador for Edinburgh Napier University to collaborate with Binus University in Jakarta, Indonesia on sustainable industry development. He is affiliated with the Tourism Research Centre, focusing on Culture and Communities and Environment themes.