A «man of exception» and a «businessman with unusual qualities». André Jordan, known as the “father of Portuguese tourism”, was honored this Friday, July 9, with the attribution of his name to an avenue in Vilamoura.
Born in Lviv, Poland (today a city in Ukraine), André Jordan, now 89 years old, was responsible for the tourist growth of both Quinta do Lago and Vilamoura, carrying out one of the revitalization plans for this area.
Yesterday's ceremony, the 9th, should have been attended by the honoree, but health issues did not allow it.
In his representation, his son Constantino Jordan spoke of the «great friendship» that his father always had «with Vilamoura and with the whole municipality of Loulé».
“He always worked with all his heart and didn't stop until he did the best he could. We are all here as a witness to this work, this passion », he added.
The until now “Avenida Praia da Falésia,” next to the Lake Resort, will be renamed “Avenida Comendador André Jordan”, in a fair tribute, in the words of Vítor Aleixo.
«He was an exceptional man, a businessman with unusual qualities who always knew how to bring good taste, art, balance, elegance and, above all, respect and sensitivity in the relationship between the economy and the environment to his activity», he said. .
The mayor highlighted precisely the concern that André Jordan has always had with environmental issues. «He had the characteristic of thinking that the economy did not have to swallow the environment», he considered.
For the mayor of Loulé, if the Algarve is «today a tourist reference all over the world, much is due to the extraordinary vision of that genius man that was André Jordan».
«He certainly has many followers and admirers when it comes to businessmen, because without beauty, without common sense, without balance, without a harmonious and sustainable relationship, the economy is compromised», he concluded.
Photos: Pedro Lemos | Sul Informação
Who is Andre Jordan?
André Jordan (Andrzej Franciszek Spitzman Jordan) was born on September 10, 1933, in Lviv, Poland (now a city in Ukraine). He left his country as a child, when the threat of World War II and Nazi persecution became real.
The family, which had lost everything in Poland, had a brief stay in Portugal but it was in Brazil that they settled. There, Jordan began his career, first as a journalist and then in real estate, later passing through other countries, such as Uruguay, Argentina and the United States of America.
He returned to Portugal in 1970 and became known for his large project in the south of the country, Quinta do Lago, recognized today as one of the most famous golf and leisure developments in the world.
Taking inspiration from the country clubs Americans, Quinta do Lago was adapted to the characteristics of the Algarve landscape. The concept was new in Portugal, but Jordan believed in its bright future.
With a career spanning over 50 years, he also created Belas Clube de Campo, a residential community with a golf course, near Lisbon, and carried out one of the revitalization plans in the Vilamoura area, as well as the creation of the Vilamoura Program XXI, also in the Algarve.
He is Doctor Honoris Causa by ISCTE and the University of Algarve. He was Honorary Consul of Brazil in the Algarve for 17 years.
He is a Grand Officer of the Order of Infante D. Henrique and was decorated by the President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa with the Grand Cross of the Order of Commercial Merit. The Brazilian Government designated him Grand Officer of the Order of Rio Branco. He is an honorary citizen of the cities of Rio de Janeiro and New York. and received the Gold Medal from Loulé (1998) and Sintra, as well as from Turismo do Algarve. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II. He received the National Tourism Award – Career category.
In 2014, he was considered one of the 12 most influential personalities in tourism worldwide.
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