THE
SKÅL HISTORY
Skål
is the unique international organization which enhances all the branches of the
tourist industry. The members organize local, national and international
meetings to talk about different matters within a friendly atmosphere.
The
first club was founded in Paris, in 1932, started by travel agents and transport
companies which have participated in an inaugural flight to Malmoe, Sweden.
During
this trip, a nice friendship was formed among the members and this gave way to
the formation of the first club.
During
those meetings, they toasted to Health, Friendship, Happiness, Long Life, which
initials make the word SKÅL in Swedish.
In 1934 SKÅL had extended to many countries and it was determined to found the
Skål
Clubs International Association (A.I.S.C.).
The
founding President was Florimond Volckaert.
Since then, and for over sixty years of tireless activity, it has more than
25.000 professional members of tourism, distributed in 500 clubs from 85
countries in the world.
The
General Secretary is located in Torremolinos, Spain.
The
government bodies are: an Executive Committee with seven members, an
International Council in which most of the countries are represented and a
General Assembly.
There
are Clubs, National and Area Committees which facilitate the integration, the
inter-professional debate and the administrative works.
Annual
National and Area Congresses are carried out, apart from the World Congress in
which all Clubs gather to take the most important decisions related to SKÅL.
SKÅL
INTERNATIONAL THREE FRONTIERS
It
was around 1981 that the first ideas of a SKÅL movement began to gestate in the
three frontiers.
Several men engaged in the development of
infrastructure and tourist services in Puerto Iguazú, Argentina, and advised by
some SKÅL mates; began to think about the formation of a SKÅL Club in this
area.
This
idea also grew among professional members of tourism in Ciudad del Este called
Puerto Stroessner in the past (Paraguay) and Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil).
Since
then, and with the participation of Nicolás Pensa and Luis Méndez from Puerto
Iguazú, Antenor Carneiro de Mello and Xenofonte Villanueva from Foz do Iguaçu
and Martín Quesada from Ciudad del Este, they began to make contacts to form
the Club.
They
worked all 1981 and the first semester of 1982, and in June of that year they
assembled 15 members to found it.
Finally,
on August 6th, 1982, the President of South America committee David
Hachuel, together with other members of the Executive Committee, founded the SKÅL
Club Three Frontiers at the Esturión Hotel. This is the only case that one club
gather three brother countries.
The
Argentine National Committee paid an important role as support for the
foundation of this Three Frontiers Club.
The
first President was the SKÅL mate Nicolás Pensa, the Secretary Luis Méndez
and the founding members were:
Puerto
Iguazú, ARGENTINA
Agustín Arrabal, Carlos
Berberián, Dante Robotti, Luis Méndez, Nicolás Pensa, Ramón Pérez Villar.
Foz do Iguaçu, BRAZIL
Antenor C. de Mello, Herminio Gatti, Joao Antunez de Oliveira, Pío Moreira, Roberto Tomashowsky, Xenofonte Villanueva.
Ciudad
del Este, PARAGUAY
Antonio Martín Quesada, Miguel
Martín, Roberto Abet.
The
next step was the modification request of the SKÅL Club statute, to allow the
membership of this new club of three frontiers.
On
November 23rd and 24th, 1984, in the 50th
anniversary congress of the SKÅL Clubs International Association held in Paris, the SKÅL Club Three Frontiers was approved
unanimously and was part of the association from November 24th , 1984
onwards.
The
SKÅL tradition is continuously growing and give to the region a reason of
pride.
SKÅL International Three Frontiers – unique in the world- is always recognized in every SKÅL meeting and we hope it will be recognized for many years.