Miguel Fluxá (b. 1938) took over the travel agency arm of a family business that had its origins in 1877 in footwear production. Under Miguel’s direction the Iberostar Group became one of the Spanish leaders in the travel business.

It was Miguel’s grandfather, Antonio, a master shoemaker, who founded the first shoe company on the island of Mallorca under the brand name Lotusse, which still exists today. He handed the reins to Miguel’s father, Lorenzo, who continued the firm’s international expansion, in 1956 acquiring a small travel agency. Miguel in turn took over the running of the travel agency, which then consisted of six branches and was known as Viajes Iberia. In 1973, he founded tour operator Iberojet, and six years later Iberotravel, with London and Manchester offices, and Visit US, with branches in Orlando and Miami.

In 1986, Miguel opened his first Iberostar Hotels & Resorts hotels in Mallorca and the Canary Islands. He consolidated the Group’s hotel business in Spain, and continued with an expansion strategy that saw the opening of its first Caribbean establishment. In 1998, he founded Iberworld, an airline which specialised in charter flights and had hubs in Madrid, Palma de Mallorca, and Tenerife. Soon after, Miguel founded cruise line Iberojet Cruceros. By 2004, the Iberostar Group had 500 travel agency branches located throughout Spain, and in 2006, sold its outbound tourism division.

Miguel has since retired from the running of the company and handed over to the next generation of the Fluxá family. The company continues to develop with the launch of The Grand Collection, offering luxury accommodation to satisfy the most discerning of customers.

He was honoured by the British Travel & Hospitality Hall of Fame in 2003.