Trigano, Gilbert

▪ 2002

      French businessman (b. July 28, 1920, St.-Maurice, Val-de-Marne, France—d. Feb. 4, 2001, Paris, France), was cofounder (1950), with his Belgian partner, Gérard Blitz, of Club Méditeranée, which introduced a revolutionary style of all-inclusive, cash-free holiday “villages.” By the early 1980s there were more than 100 Club Med resorts, offering club “members” sun-drenched locations, group activities that included sports under the direction of attractive young “organizers,” and a relaxed social environment that was conducive to sexual freedom. Trigano, a member of the Legion of Honour, retired as CEO in 1993 in favour of his son; in 1997 Club Méditeranée was reorganized under new ownership. In the 1980s Trigano also supervised an ambitious government program to install computers in French schools.

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