Last Saturday, George Ioannidis (Joannides) passed away after a long illness. George started his career in the 1950s and 1960s in the shipping industry with the Rotterdam-based companies Van Ommeren (now Vopak) and Dammers & Van der Heide. At Dammers & Van der Heide he found an IATA permit in a drawer and started a passage bureau. Then in the 70s and 80s he went to work for Anthony Veder. At Anthony Veder, he became deputy director and was responsible for the travel and passage activities of the travel agencies in Rotterdam and Amsterdam (Hoyman & Schuurman). In this role, George was the representative of English shipping companies such as P&O, Princess Cruises and Cunard, Algarve Agencies and the representation of Avis in Curaçao. During that period, George was a member of the ANVR board (Agents), he was co-founder and member of the board of the ANVR guarantee fund. The Guarantee Fund was then transferred to the GSC, where George was also a member of the Supervisory Board. After a short period at Unie Travel, George and his wife Jorine set up JD Travel in the 80s. In addition to our own tour operator program to Greece and Cyprus, the focus was on group & incentive travel. After a successful stint with JD Travel, George retired at the turn of the century. After his active career, George remained actively involved in the travel industry as National President of the Netherlands for Skål International and as a board member of the Friends of the ANVR. George was the son of Greek immigrants who settled in Rotterdam around the beginning of the last century. He was always proud of his Greek background and also regularly stayed in Greece with his Greek family or in his home on Chios. George loved life, friends and was a great family man. Last year, he lost his eldest son with great sadness. George is survived by his beloved wife, youngest son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren. His youngest son Dimitri works in the travel industry at TUI Netherlands. George was 81 years old. His farewell will take place on Saturday 23 December in his beloved city of Rotterdam with his family and friends.
