Pedro Zaragoza Orts
| Pedro Zaragoza Orts | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 15, 1922 |
| April 1, 2008 (aged 85)April 1, 2008 (aged 85) | |
| 💼 Occupation | Mayor of Benidorm, Spain |
Pedro Zaragoza Orts (May 15, 1922 – April 1, 2008) was the mayor of Benidorm, Spain from 1950 to 1967. [1][2] He is credited with helping turn the town into one of the most popular holiday resorts in Spain, creating "Europe's first mass tourist resort."[3]
Biography
Zaragoza was born in Benidorm to a family of poor seafarers; his father was a merchant captain. He was able to travel around the world as a child with his father seeing Sydney, London, and Singapore.[4]:94 He went to school in Barcelona to learn nautical studies. A lack of funds led him to become a travelling salesman. He then became a porter at a rail station in Madrid. He soon became a miner of phosphate but advanced quickly to become manager of the mining company. He returned to Benidorm when his father died. He became a bank manager at branch there.[3] He was soon promoted to a position in Madrid at the Spanish Confederation of Savings Banks, where he caught the attention of government officials.[5]
Zaragoza was appointed mayor at 28 in 1950 by the Franco's government.[3] At the time Benidorm was a small town without much economic prospects. Spain was still recovering from the Spainish Civil War that had ended in 1939. Zaragoza felt that town could be turned into a beachside resort where tourists, not just from Spain, but from across the rest of Europe could come to. [1] In 1950, Benidorm only had 102 hotel rooms.[6]
.jpg)
He became a one-man spokesman for his town by travelling across Europe to promote Benidorm. In Stockholm, Sweden, he left flowering almond branches in department stores. The Queen of England received local wine that he had sent. [8] He planted orange trees in the name of famous people such as Queen Elizabeth and Charles de Gaulle and sent the harvest to them. [4]:94
In 1952, Zaragoza allowed women to wear the newest fashion of bikinis anywhere in the town.[8][1][5] This prompted the archbishop to threaten to excommunicate Zaragoza.[7] Only on the intervention by Franco, did archbishop and the Catholic church not carry out their threat.[3]
He rode a Vespa nine hours to advocate Franco, dictator of Spain, that the country should open up to tourists. According to The Economist, "the dictator, amused by this small, round, moustachioed man with motor oil on his trousers, became a fan at once."[8]
Zaragoza encouraged the building of high-rises in Benidorm as he felt that it would for more people to see the beaches and feel the sea air.[1] In 2008, Benidorm had 330 skyscrapers and attracted over five million visitors.[2] [3]
Later life
In 1967, after stepping down as mayor, Zaragoza high-energy personality continued into several positions over the years. He was a provincial deputy, where he voted against the restoration of the Spanish monarchy.[8] He became president of the Province of Alicante.[5] He was chair of the Tourism Commission for 12 years. He completed a law degree in the 1970s, specialising in urban development. At 82, he received a degree in tourism at Alicante University, which made him an honorary professor. [3]
Zaragoza died of heart failure on 1 April 2008.[2] Benidorm had two days of official mourning for him.[2] Zaragoza was married to María Ivars from which they had four children.[5] [3] His marriage to Ivars lasted 58 years.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Pedro Zaragoza". 2008-04-02. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Keeley, Graham (2008-04-02). "The man who built Benidorm bows out aged 85". Retrieved 2018-03-30.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 "Pedro Zaragoza: Developer of high-rise Benidorm". The Independent. 2008-04-03. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Hickman, Leo (2008-09-04). The Final Call: Investigating Who Really Pays For Our Holidays. Random House. ISBN 9781407036298. Search this book on
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 EFE (2008-04-01). "Fallece Pedro Zaragoza, el ex alcalde que impulsó el Benidorm del turismo". El País (in español). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
- ↑ Woodley, Charles (2016-03-07). Flying to the Sun: A History of Britain's Holiday Airlines. The History Press. ISBN 9780750968706. Search this book on
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Tremlett, Giles (2008-03-13). Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and Its Silent Past. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 9780802716743. Search this book on
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "Pedro Zaragoza". The Economist. 2008-04-17. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
This article "Pedro Zaragoza" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Pedro Zaragoza. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
|
This page exists already on Wikipedia. |
