Alfredo Cunha
André Jordan
Entrepreneur and «father of Portuguese tourism»
It is impossible to introduce a man with such a full life in few words. He was born in Poland, but because of the war he ended up living in many countries, and has been in Portugal for more than 50 years. For having created Quinta do Lago and other renowned developments, he is quite rightly considered the «father of Portuguese tourism». And his many honours and decorations are just as equally merited. Portugal thanks you and we, as Portuguese people, do too: Thank you, Andrzej Jordan!
You were born in Poland, you have lived in many countries and have been in Portugal for more than 50 years. What nationality does André Jordan feel?
I am a citizen of the community where I live and work. I appreciate the qualities of the countries in which I have lived, especially of my native Poland, USA, Brazil, Argentina, Great Britain and Portugal, among others. I admire the spirit of freedom and love of music of the Poles, the democracy, meritocracy and ability to work of the Americans, the joy, the courage and resilience of the Brazilians, the enormous capacity of Argentines to be friends, the stiff upper lip and the education of the English and the spirit of solidarity, loyalty and moral consistency of the Portuguese.
You are known as the «father of Portuguese tourism». Do you agree?
I see this honourable title as recognition for the creation of Quinta do Lago, with its iconic Casa Velha restaurant, which set a style. I dedicated my conception of developments to a formula that combined aesthetics and the Portuguese way of being, simple and elegant, with an international standard service model.
«50 years later, Portuguese Style is a world-renowned reality»
Did you ever imagine that Quinta do Lago would become the icon it is today?
To tell the truth, no. I imagined Quinta do Lago as a benchmark of elegance and tranquillity and I didn’t imagine that these characteristics would turn my first development into one of the ten best in the world of all time, as the Sunday Times recently referred to it. 50 years later, Portuguese Style is a world-renowned reality.
Do you think that government policies with regard to the tourism sector have been the most appropriate?
The recent success and growth of tourism has caught the government, and in some ways the tourism industry, off guard, without a strategy for tourist loyalty through events and activities with a life of their own. The government should encourage entrepreneurs within the sector to get involved in organising and promoting regular high quality events and activities. There is also a need for a tourism minister, who is able to deal across the board with all manner of problems.
Is it easy to invest in tourism and real estate in Portugal?
Portugal is well placed on the list of countries receiving investments. There are occasional difficulties. It is also very important to make Portuguese and European monetary authorities aware of the importance of residential tourism, which can be a recurrent source of non-inflationary foreign investment income.
