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Palma de Mallorca.– One of the founders of the Grupo Barcelo, Sebastian Barcelo Oliver, died Sunday in the Spanish city of Palma de Mallorca in the Balearic Islands after a long illness. He was 79.

The tourist group based in Mallorca and with significant business activities in Latin America, announced in a communique that that the funeral services for Barcelo, chairman of the Barcelo Foundation and honorary co-chairman of the hotel company, will be held Monday in the city of Palma.

Barcelo, who was born in the Mallorca town of Es Carritxo in 1930, was one of the visionaries in Spain’s tourist market and, along with his brother Gabriel, he created a business empire that crossed borders and currently operates 187 hotels and about 500 travel agencies in 23 countries.

CEO of the company from 1993 to 2000, and the successor to his brother Gabriel, Sebastian Barcelo had been the head of the Barcelo Foundation formed in 1989 in honor of his parents, and during the last nine years he also acted as honorary co-chairman of the tourism firm.

One of four brothers, Barcelo began his career in business at age 12 working closely together with Gabriel. Both boys helped their father in his transportation business for travelers and merchandise by road, and that experience was the seed that years later led to the Barcelo business empire.

“There can be no doubt: tourism was going to be the main industry in the Balearics and even in Spain. And we were clear that we wanted to be there, in the first rank, leading that great revolution,” Sebastian Barcelo used to say, according to the communique issued by the group.

His first such investment was at Bavaro Beach in the Dominican Republic, where he built a hotel in 1985. Barcelo received many recognitions, including the title of Knight of the Heraldic Order of Christopher Columbus, and was designated a Pioneer of Tourism, both in the Dominican Republic, where he owns several hotels.Grupo Barcelo also has operations in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, Cuba, Ecuador and the United States.

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COMMENTS
8 comment(s)
Written by: synapse, 4 May 2009 11:33 AM
From: United States
Barcelo knows how to drive VOLUME, which not always delivers the best quality but you always get what you pay for with them. -- which in many resorts world wide today is usually not the case.
Good Job Sebastian -you certainly left a legacy that won't fade away, Rest in peace.
Written by: Bailarin This user is banned, 4 May 2009 12:38 PM
From: Dominican Republic
NAKED HE CAME in to this world , and naked he left it ....What does it profit it a man if he gains the whole world and forfiets his soul ?
Written by: xwill7, 4 May 2009 1:07 PM
From: United States, El cuarto bate
Bail. True, I see so many people just work all of their life and never stop and enjoy this life. You can't take the money with you... You have to make money to live comfortable but remember to spend time with the ones that you care for and enjoy life. The people on his will are the ones that will enjoy life
Written by: xwill7, 4 May 2009 2:19 PM
From: United States, El cuarto bate
Its good to work in the field that you love. I hope that he relaxed a bit after he made some real money. Some people become zombies and just work 24/7
Written by: curlando, 5 May 2009 7:12 AM
From: United States, Bronx
Ok, he owned quite few hotels. What did he do for Domincans as whole? If you go to Bavaro the roads leading to hotels need to be repaved and the town surrounding the hotels are poor. Those hotels make a lot of money and not much of the cash is invested in DR.
Written by: Bailarin This user is banned, 5 May 2009 9:09 AM
From: Dominican Republic
Im sorry to have offended you , I MEANT TO SAY water bed with an ocean view.....
Written by: Johnnyc, 5 May 2009 12:39 PM
From: United States
Here in the USA Hilton and Marriot build all the roads leading to their Hotels LOL. Plus as an added bonus hey even rebuild the Cities surrounding them.

The taxes generated from Hotel Room Rentrals is what the GOVERNMENT should use to build and maintain infrastucture... but since we are talking about the DR..... " the roads leading to hotels need to be repaved and the towns surrounding the hotels are poor." LIke any Business these Hotels use their extra capital to maintain and expand their properties, not to maintain public Roads and Municipalities
Written by: agibus This user is banned, 11 May 2009 2:47 PM
From: United States
Don Sebastian Barcelo Oliver is part of DR turism success.Dominicans must be proud to have a man with great vision.Barcelo is a mark of quality of life.
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