getting to know...carlos jordan, tourism coordinator in san roque
14.02.09 - 12:58 -
Carlos Jordan.
Carlos Jordan was born in the UK, of Spanish/Welsh parentage, and has made his home in San Roque. He first visited the town when he was 13, and he probably now knows more about it than anyone, having looked into its history, studied the vagaries of the language used locally, instigated a whole new system of signposting, written about its bars and restaurants, and promoted it in all its aspects to new residents and visitors.
How is San Roque coping with the credit crunch?
I am convinced that in times like this, there is only one thing to do. We have to give better value for money. Putting prices up is disastrous, and so is getting slipshod about quality. This is the message we’re trying to get over to all the local businesses.
What’s special about San Roque?
Lots of things! It’s where the inhabitants of Gibraltar fled to after the siege in 1704 and its motto is “Very Noble and Very Loyal city of San Roque, where Gibraltar lives on”. The Gibraltar connection is very important. The history of the place is fascinating and it has a special appeal both for Spanish and foreign visitors - which we need to combine, as well as targeting expats!
How do you do that?
By providing what they want - San Roque will come up with anything that there is a demand for. We’ve got a great culinary guide, we do nature trails, we do free sightseeing tours for golf widows and widowers - in fact we put on free tours for anyone who asks! We put leaflets in various languages in the hotels... We encourage expats to enrol in the Spanish classes at the ‘Escuela Oficial de Idiomas’. We try to look after everyone.
