The Consell de Ibiza is preparing to purchase the Portinatx tower using funds approved in the latest call of the Sustainable Tourism Tax (ITS), popularly known as the ecotax. This financial injection from the ITS will enable the implementation of a programme of actions known as the Insular Plan for the Recovery and Rehabilitation of Public Heritage Spaces. In its first phase, the plan also includes the restoration of the Molí d’en Pep Joan, the museumisation of the archaeological site of s’Olivera and the creation of a geology centre.
The Consell de Ibiza has applied for a total of €2,245,214 in ITS funding to carry out this campaign to improve the island’s historical heritage. So far, in the latest call issued by the Balearic Government, an initial amount of €686,308 has been granted.
The main and most costly action in this first phase of the heritage plan is the purchase of the Portinatx tower, which has a budget of €700,000. According to the agreement validating the modification of the project, published in the Official Bulletin of the Balearic Islands (BOIB), the ITS will contribute €425,000 towards the acquisition, while the remaining amount will be covered by the Consell’s own funds.
This purchase brings to an end a long process to adapt this defensive structure, which was unsuccessfully pursued by the Sant Joan City Council 15 years ago. In 2020, the council, then led by Antoni Marí ‘Carraca’, finalised the transfer of the property, previously owned by businessman Xavier Cabau, with the aim of creating a tourist trail to Punta de sa Torre and opening the monument to visitors.
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