Gerard Brackx
Encyclopedia
Gerardus "Gerard" Brackx (b. 1931, Ostend
- 19 September 2011) was a Belgian
businessman, pioneer of the Belgian travel business
and founder of Jetair
. His father was a Catholic
businessman who owned a factory which produced washing machine
s and bicycle
s. Gerard was the seventh child out of nine. On the verge of World War II, his father died of pneumonia
and Gerard had to start help working at the age of 16 to earn money for his family.
, Germany
), he dreamt of a future in car
s and travel
. He married Diane Provoost, whose father had a garage where he started his career as a salesman. He worked there for five years when he saw the first bus
ses appear in the garage. In 1956, together with his brother-in-law, Roger Provoost, he started organizing bus travels during the summer months (when the buses stood idle) through Reiskantoren Royal Tours for British
tourists visiting the Belgian coast. In addition he started offering tours for Flemings to the English coast across the English Channel
.
In 1958, with the Brussels World’s Fair
came the breakthrough and in addition he started offering journeys to Lourdes
, Tyrol
and the Costa Brava
. At the end of the sixties, he was the first Belgian tour operator who offered organised air travel in association with Sabena
to Benidorm
(Spain). For many years he would be known as Mijnheer Benidorm (Mister Benidorm) as he discovered Benidorm as a vacation resort during the sixties. In 1970, he opened his own Hotel Belroy in Benidorm and until 1978 would remain the only Belgian tour operator who offered flight vacations to Benidorm. In 1996, he sold Jetair to the German travel organization Touristik Union International (TUI)
.
During his last years, Brackx occupied himself with the real estate
of the family holding Immobra . He died in Ostend on 19 September 2011, aged 80 and was buried there on 24 September.
Ostend
Ostend is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast....
- 19 September 2011) was a Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
businessman, pioneer of the Belgian travel business
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
and founder of Jetair
TUI AG
TUI AG is a German multinational travel and tourism company headquartered in Hanover. Until 2001 it was an industrial and transportation company named Preussag AG, which in the mid-1990s decided to reinvent itself as a tourism, shipping, and logistics company...
. His father was a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
businessman who owned a factory which produced washing machine
Washing machine
A washing machine is a machine designed to wash laundry, such as clothing, towels and sheets...
s and bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
s. Gerard was the seventh child out of nine. On the verge of World War II, his father died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
and Gerard had to start help working at the age of 16 to earn money for his family.
Career
At the age of 24, after finishing school and serving in the army (part of which he spent in KasselKassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
), he dreamt of a future in car
Čar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
s and travel
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
. He married Diane Provoost, whose father had a garage where he started his career as a salesman. He worked there for five years when he saw the first bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
ses appear in the garage. In 1956, together with his brother-in-law, Roger Provoost, he started organizing bus travels during the summer months (when the buses stood idle) through Reiskantoren Royal Tours for British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
tourists visiting the Belgian coast. In addition he started offering tours for Flemings to the English coast across the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
.
In 1958, with the Brussels World’s Fair
Expo '58
Expo 58, also known as the Brussels World’s Fair, Brusselse Wereldtentoonstelling or Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles, was held from 17 April to 19 October 1958...
came the breakthrough and in addition he started offering journeys to Lourdes
Lourdes
Lourdes is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in south-western France.Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, famous for the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes occurred in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous...
, Tyrol
German Tyrol
German Tyrol is a historical region in the Alps now divided between Austria and Italy. It includes largely ethnic German areas of historical County of Tyrol: the Austrian state of Tyrol and the province of South Tyrol but not the largely Italian-speaking province of Trentino .-History:German...
and the Costa Brava
Costa Brava
The Costa Brava is a coastal region of northeastern Catalonia, Spain, in the comarques of Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà and Selva, in the province of Girona. Costa is the Catalan and Spanish word for 'coast', and Brava means 'rugged' or 'wild'...
. At the end of the sixties, he was the first Belgian tour operator who offered organised air travel in association with Sabena
Sabena
SABENA was the national airline of Belgium from 1923 to 2001, with its base at Brussels National Airport. After its bankruptcy in 2001, the newly formed SN Brussels Airlines took over part of SABENA's assets in February 2002, which then became Brussels Airlines...
to Benidorm
Benidorm
Benidorm is a coastal town and municipality located in the comarca of Marina Baixa, in the province of Alicante, Valencian community, Spain, by the Western Mediterranean....
(Spain). For many years he would be known as Mijnheer Benidorm (Mister Benidorm) as he discovered Benidorm as a vacation resort during the sixties. In 1970, he opened his own Hotel Belroy in Benidorm and until 1978 would remain the only Belgian tour operator who offered flight vacations to Benidorm. In 1996, he sold Jetair to the German travel organization Touristik Union International (TUI)
TUI AG
TUI AG is a German multinational travel and tourism company headquartered in Hanover. Until 2001 it was an industrial and transportation company named Preussag AG, which in the mid-1990s decided to reinvent itself as a tourism, shipping, and logistics company...
.
During his last years, Brackx occupied himself with the real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
of the family holding Immobra . He died in Ostend on 19 September 2011, aged 80 and was buried there on 24 September.